Police warn pet owners of tennis ball bombs

WLS logo
Thursday, June 30, 2016
tennis ball bomb
Authorities are warning pet owners about tennis balls filled with firecrackers or other explosives ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
Kent Police Dept.

KENT, Wash. -- Authorities are warning pet owners about tennis balls filled with firecrackers or other explosives ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

Police in Kent, Wash., shared a photo and explained how to identify the homemade bombs in response to a question at a recent community meeting.

"A tennis ball bomb is very easy to identify. It is a real tennis ball that has some sort of fuse sticking out of it. Here is a picture of one. The tennis ball could also be completely wrapped in duct tape with a fuse sticking out," the Kent Police Department wrote on its Facebook page.

In February, a Washington man discovered several homemade bombs - including one tennis ball bomb - in a park, KING-TV reported. It's not clear if any tennis ball bombs had surfaced recently.

The tennis ball bombs can pose a risk to pets as well as people. Anyone who sees a tennis ball that appears to have been tampered with or has a fuse sticking out of it should contact 911.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.