Bomb is detonated inside a Florida shopping mall

  • Bomb exploded in the entryway of a JC Penney at Eagle Ridge Mall Sunday night
  • The Improvised Explosive Device triggered an alarm and the mall was evacuated 
  • No one was injured when the device exploded but it did cause structural damage
  • Police are looking for a middle-aged suspect with a heavy build who wore gray

A bomb exploded in the entryway of a JC Penney at a Florida Mall on Sunday evening, police have said. 

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded just before 5.20pm at the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, Florida, according to Fox 35. 

Police were called to the mall when an alarm was activated in the mall and the facility was evacuated. 

Once on the scene the fire department was able to locate the source of the smoke. 

A bomb exploded in the entryway of a JC Penney at a Florida Mall on Sunday evening, police have said

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded just before 5.20pm at the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, Florida

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded just before 5.20pm at the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, Florida

They found that the smoke was coming from a corridor next to JC Penney, and then located the detonated bomb. 

The department also found a backpack with other potentially improvised explosive devices inside it. 

The explosion didn’t cause any injuries, but there was damage to a ceiling and potentially to the corridor wall, police said. 

The Lake Wales Police Department was on the scene by 5.30pm and launched a criminal investigation into the person behind the bomb. 

The explosion didn't cause any injuries, but there was damage to a ceiling and potentially to the corridor wall, police said. An officer with the Polk County Sheriff's Office is pictured talking to reporters 

The explosion didn’t cause any injuries, but there was damage to a ceiling and potentially to the corridor wall, police said. An officer with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is pictured talking to reporters 

The FBI also responded to the scene alongside the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the State Fire Marshall and the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad. 

Witnesses described the suspected bomber as a middle-aged white male with a heavy or stocky build who was wearing a gray shirt and gray hat, according to Fox.

Officers around the country have been advised to be on alert.  



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