Device deemed inert by bomb squad in Glenpool neighborhood, residents given all clear

People who were evacuated in Glenpool are back home Tuesday night after police say someone found what looked like a pipe bomb. Tulsa’s bomb squad says the device wasn't a threat, and the scene is now clear.

Glenpool police say a homeowner found the device while going through some old items left behind by someone who had moved out. Police say the homeowner carried it outside, put it into a car, and called police.

Glenpool police evacuated people from about nine homes as a precaution while the Tulsa police bomb squad used a robot to remove the device and X-ray it.

Trenton Ruby, who lives right next door, and his stepson were among those who had to leave for a while.

"Kind of went into, you know, panic mode, trying to get it out of the house,” he said. “Figure out where is a good place to be. You know, what's the blast radius? You know, all kinds of things run through your head as you're trying to figure it out."

Police later confirmed the device was inert.

"The X-ray has been completed. The device is inert. There's no explosive within the device. It's an empty shell," said Chief Jeremy Plain.

Neighbors are relieved no one was hurt.

"I left the dog there, so worried about the dog the whole time,” Ruby said. “You know, obviously, if it were to explode, we'd have to restart, you know? So that's obviously super stressful, but definitely tons of weight has been lifted. Now that we know it's not going to explode."

Police say they have responded to this home before, but never for anything like this, and neighbors were surprised by all the police activity.

"I would have never thought something like this would happen in Glenpool of all places,” said Ruby. “I mean, there's some other places, maybe, but I mean, really, a bomb threat anywhere is kind of out of the blue, but definitely not in Glenpool, Oklahoma. Wasn't something I would have ever expected."

The ATF is now handling the investigation and will talk to the person who left the device behind.

Police say if you find something that could be an explosive device, don’t move it. Immediately get away from it and call 911.