Man arrested after explosion rocks Bedford bridge, police say; second device found
A man was arrested early Thursday in connection with an explosion that rocked a bridge in Bedford on Wednesday evening, leading authorities to close down the bridge and call in the help of federal agents.
No one was injured when the unknown explosive device detonated, Bedford police said in a news release. Officials located a second device around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said, and a team of explosive experts destroyed it with a controlled detonation.
The suspect, whose identity wasn’t released, was taken into custody around 3 a.m., police said. It wasn’t immediately clear on Thursday morning what his alleged role in the explosion was, other than that he was identified as a person of interest.
The explosion occurred near a drainage culvert under the Forest Ridge Drive bridge a little before 5 p.m. Wednesday, police said. That stretch of road, between L. Don Dodson and Bedford roads, was closed from Wednesday evening through late Thursday morning. It was reopened as of 11 a.m., after a Texas Department of Transportation engineer determined the bridge remains structurally sound, police said.
Federal authorities, which weren’t named by the department, were brought in to run the initial investigation on Wednesday evening.
The agents, along with Bedford detectives, identified a person of interest and his location, police said. In order to not give the man a heads up, police said, limited information was released to the public.
The Bedford Police Department posted on Facebook a little before 6 p.m. Wednesday that Forest Ridge Drive was closed between L. Don Dodson and Bedford roads for the next few hours as authorities were “investigating a hazardous situation.” An update posted around 9:20 p.m. stated the stretch of road would be closed overnight and into the morning.
Around 8:15 a.m. Thursday, police posted an update that explained the situation.
A photo from WFAA-TV on Thursday morning showed yellow tape going over the small bridge that extends over a drainage culvert.
Additional information will be released at a later time, police said.
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 8:58 AM.
