SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Officials are investigating after they seized hazardous materials found inside a vehicle in Southwest Miami-Dade during a traffic stop.
According to a source at the scene, this began as a routine traffic stop on Wednesday. Police pulled over a car inside a parking lot near Southwest 88th Street.
During the traffic stop, police found explosive materials inside the car. Investigators said the materials were for Molotov cocktails, a homemade explosive.
Crime scene investigators and bomb squad units have taken the materials – which include wine bottles, rope and a gas canister – out of the car.
“When they pulled him over, they started searching the car,” said Alex Ramirez, who works nearby.
Ramirez said he was shocked that this happened in the area.
“We didn’t know at first,” said Ramirez. “At first, we thought it was drugs or something small or a car crash. It wasn’t until later, when they were about to leave, that we found out. We never thought that some things like that could happen in this area.”
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are also investigating this incident.
Officials have not released the identity of the driver or what the plans were, but people in the area said they’re happy officials were on top of the situation.
“Hopefully they got it resolved and they can figure out what they were trying to do,” Ramirez said.
Businesses in the area were shut down for several hours. They have since been reopened.
Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have taken over the investigation.
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