Rowlett Evacuations & Road Closures After World War II Bomb Found
ROWLETT (CBSDFW.COM) - Police in Rowlett evacuated a residential neighborhood and closed down part of the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) for more than an hour after an undetonated World War II mortar was found.
A World War II mortar has been found in the 440 block of Bayonne Dr. Please stay away from the area until further notice. The Garland Bomb Unit is responding. Because of proximity to the area, for safety reasons PGBT has been closed from I30 to SH 66.
— City of Rowlett, Texas (@RowlettTexas) April 23, 2018
Officials say a man found the bomb in a small city in North Texas and then took it to a home in the 4600 block of Bayonne Drive in Rowlett. When police were notified that the bomb was there they blocked off a large section of the neighborhood and shutdown the PGBT, from Interstate-30 to State Highway 66, in an abundance of caution.
City officials advised people to stay away from the area until an "all clear" was given.
The Garland Police Department Bomb Squad was contacted and the mortar was safely removed from the neighborhood. Police say the device was taken to an open field and detonated.
No one was injured. Investigators are now examining the remains of the bomb.