Burger King receipt ID's Md. police car pipe bomb suspect
THURMONT, Md. -- Fast food litter helped lead to the arrest of a Maryland man accused of planting and detonating a pipe bomb on the hood of a police vehicle last week, reports CBS Baltimore.
The Thurmont, Maryland police SUV was parked outside a police officer's residence at about 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday when the device exploded -- causing damage to the front end of the vehicle, splintering the windshield and launching shrapnel into the officer's home, according to police.
No one was hurt as a result of the explosion.
Next to the vehicle, investigators found a foot-long pipe covered with black powder residue, duct tape and metal nails. They also found a discarded bag of trash from Burger King with the receipt inside, police said. Investigators said witnesses reported seeing a Toyota Highlander driving away from the scene.
The debit card identified on the Burger King receipt had also been used to buy black powder from a gun shop in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, according to police.
Surveillance video also showed the suspect at a home improvement store in that town, buying a pipe and two end caps, which matched those found at the scene, police said.
Just before 8 p.m. Friday evening, a Toyota Highlander was seen going through the drive-through at a Burger King in Frederick County. The driver, identified as 22-year-old Kyle Rutger Mueller, was pulled over and taken into custody. Police said a subsequent raid of Mueller's home uncovered additional items linking him to the bombing.
Mueller is charged with manufacturing a destructive device, use of a destructive device, malicious destruction of property and related charges.
At a news briefing on Saturday afternoon, Thurmont Police Det. Jody Maybush told reporters the suspect acknowledged having an interest in explosives, but had no plans to specifically target a police vehicle.