A package exploded inside a car on a suburban street in Lafayette on Saturday, injuring two people who were rushed to a local hospital.
The injured couple were identified late Saturday as Allyson Stone, 44, and her husband, Christopher Stone, 59.
Police believe they were specifically targeted and stressed there was no danger to the public.
The incident happened just before 1 p.m. when a woman at 337 Lodgewood Point Drive picked up a package from in front of a house and put it inside a car. She and a man began to drive off and the package exploded.
Allyson Stone was in the news in early 2010 when she was bitten on the lips by Spork, a 10-year-old miniature dachshund, while working at a Lafayette veterinarian’s office. When the City of Lafayette prosecuted the case — and the dog faced possible death under vicious animal statutes — nearly 24,000 people joined a Facebook page devoted to Spork’s defense. Eventually, the case ended with a deferred judgement. Spork was spared but during the uproar Stone received death threats.
Lafayette police Cmdr. Gene McCausey said detectives do not believe the two cases are related, but “we have not ruled that out.”
Investigators Saturday night were looking at a possible suspect. McCausey would not identify the suspect on the record but said the suspect was not connected to the Spork case.
Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene Saturday night, along with the Boulder County Bomb Squad, a hazardous materials team, Mountain View and Boulder Rural fire units, and Boulder County sheriff’s deputies.
Investigators were concentrating on the car — a gray late-model Volvo station wagon. They removed a fist-size device, which officials said is believed to be the remains of an explosive device.
Initially, investigators feared there might be a second incendiary device, and McCausey said that the car was X-rayed to see whether it was safe to move.
“If there is one device, there might be another,” McCausey said.
“For the safety of our teams and the people who live around here, we have to be sure.”
A witness said the windshield of the Volvo was shattered and the inside of the car was burned, but no damage could be seen on the car’s exterior.
Right after the explosion, dispatchers fielded a call with a person in the background hysterically yelling, “Call 911! Call 911!”
Officials confirmed at least one victim was being treated for burns, but further details on their conditions were not released.
Neighbors said that police told them both victims were first taken to Exempla Good Samaritan hospital and then flown to a burn unit.
Boulder County sheriff’s deputies evacuated people from several neighboring homes by having them climb onto ladders to get over their fences. Some were taken to a recreational center on a bus.
Tim Walker, 52, who lives in the neighborhood, said he and his wife were told to stay in their home while a robot rattled the second package still inside the car to see whether it contained an explosive.
Walker was Spork’s owner. A family member who works for The Denver Post said that Walker was shocked Saturday night when informed of Stone’s identity.
He said the Walkers “didn’t have a clue” that Stone lived anywhere nearby.
Tents were set up at a nearby park for possible decontamination and to keep emergency crews warm as a light snow began to fall in the area. The tents were taken down by 9 p.m.
Kate Kintzel, who lives nearby, said she returned home about 1 p.m. and encountered the frantic scene.
“We’re all saying, ‘Don’t we live in suburbia in this cute little cookie-cutter subdivision, and now the bomb squad is here?’ I’m from Washington, D.C., and you just don’t see this in Colorado,” she said.
Scott Rochat of the Longmont Times-Call contributed to this report.
