Man injured by blast; bomb remnants found in damaged vehicle at Puyallup hospital

A Puyallup hospital was partially evacuated Sunday morning after an 18-year-old man showed up in the emergency room with a severe hand injury, prompting police concerns that he had a bomb in his car.

Bomb technicians and hazardous-materials experts from several agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, responded to the MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital after the man arrived with an injury apparently caused by an explosion just after 4 a.m.

The unidentified man had a “history with explosive devices,” said Puyallup Police Capt. Scott Engle. That man’s injuries were severe enough that he was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Engle said.

Law enforcement checked the man’s truck in the parking lot and determined an explosive device had detonated either in or near it before it arrived at the hospital. Remnants of the device were in the car, and the driver’s side was caved in with the side mirror missing.

Engle said no explosives were found in the vehicle.

After collecting evidence, police towed the truck to an impound lot to investigate further.

The driver will be booked into Pierce County Jail after he is released from Harborview.

A second man, 24, a passenger in the car, suffered internal injuries from the blast, Engle said. He was treated and taken into custody, Engle said.

Police said the main entrance to the hospital was closed, as was the top floor of the parking garage. Parts of the main floor of the hospital were evacuated.

However, the hospital said it was still accessible through the emergency room, which remained open. Five or six patients in rooms near the main entrance were relocated to other areas of the hospital.

Police have had contact with the 18-year-old two previous times, including a domestic incident over Thanksgiving weekend that potentially involved an explosive device, Engle said.