ABC6 – Philadelphia:
Police said vehicles unsuccessfully tried to ram a Target in Wynnefield Heights.
Two people are facing charges after police in Philadelphia recovered illegal explosives being transported in a van along the Ben Franklin Parkway on Wednesday night, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
Authorities said the investigation began early Wednesday night when officers responded to a commercial burglary alarm and observed 10 to 15 staged vehicles in the City Avenue Marriott parking lot.
Authorities said officers observed some of the vehicles suspiciously leaving the parking lot, later unsuccessfully attempting to ram the Target located on Monument Road in the city’s Wynnefield Heights section.
Officers then followed a van that left the area and proceeded onto I-76 and later onto the Ben Franklin Parkway in the heart of Philadelphia.
Inside the van, investigations found a quarter or half sticks of dynamite, a handheld propane tank torch, a taser and various tools including electric drills, bolt cutters, and machetes. Authorities said the explosives are used to dismantle and steal proceeds from ATMs.
There have been at least 30 ATM explosion since Monday night’s unrest.
The attorney general said the van driver, Brian Larue, and passenger, Eric Murray, are both facing charges of possession of weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy, and risking a catastrophe, along with several misdemeanor charges.
