Santa Clara Pipe Bomb Backpack Suspect Is A Convicted Felon: Police

SANTA CLARA - A convicted felon who allegedly had a pipe bomb in a backpack when he was arrested during a traffic stop in Santa Clara on Thursday afternoon has been identified as 39-year-old Don Melvin Perdue of San Jose, a police spokesman said Friday

Officers stopped Perdue shortly before 2 p.m. at Scott Boulevard and Space Park Drive for allegedly driving with an expired car registration and littering, police Lt. Dan Moreno said.

The officers learned Perdue had a suspended license and found suspected drug paraphernalia when they searched his car, Moreno said.

The 39-year-old man, who is a convicted felon, also allegedly had a stun gun, according to Moreno.

Perdue was arrested and taken to Santa Clara police headquarters, where officers found in his backpack a small cylindrical metal pipe about 4 to 5 inches long that was capped on one end and had wires sticking out on the other side, Moreno said.

The pipe was removed from the police building and officers called for the Santa Clara County sheriff's bomb squad, according to Moreno.

The bomb squad used an X-ray to inspect the device and determined the pipe was an explosive with black powder or a similar substance, the spokesman said.

The bomb squad was able to safely detonate the device outside police headquarters around 4:30 p.m. and properly disposed of it, Moreno said.

Also on Patch: Santa Clara Police Detonate Suspicious Device Found In Backpack

Perdue was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, being a felon in possession of a stun gun, possession of a destructive device and reckless possession of a destructive device, Moreno said.

He has been booked into Santa Clara County Jail, where he is being held on $308,000 bail, according to online jail records.

-Bay City News, image via Santa Clara Police Department