This morning, at 2:56 a.m., members of the Barrie Police Service and Barrie Fire and Emergency Services responded to a report of an explosion involving a parked motor vehicle at 108A Anne Street in the City of Barrie.
Upon arrival, the involved motor vehicle, that was parked in an outdoor parking lot was located and a short distance away, an unexploded improvised explosive device was found in an adjacent garden.
An immediate evacuation of the units that face out to the parking lot was ordered and the residents impacted were safely moved to waiting City of Barrie Transit buses.
A perimeter was established, road closures were put in place and shared on Barrie Police social media platforms. Residents in the area were asked to stay in their homes until further advised.
Resources from the Barrie Police continued to respond that included the Tactical Support Unit, Explosive Disposal Unit, Criminal Investigation Division and Forensic Identification Unit.
At approximately 8:30 a.m., a controlled and remote detonation of the improvised explosive device was carried out by members of the Barrie Police Explosive Disposal Unit and the at scene investigation continued. Barrie Police was also assisted by members of the Ontario Provincial Police Canine Unit and specialized services from the Urban Search and Rescue Unit who provided expertise in post explosion scene examination.
The Barrie Police investigation remains ongoing, and detectives will be diligently working to identify the person(s) responsible for this senseless act of criminal behaviour.
The Barrie Police Service recognize that today’s incident has impacted many people who reside in the area and use the streets that had to be closed and we wish to thank our community for their patience as this at scene investigation was conducted. Public safety is a primary focus of an undertaking of this magnitude and the collaborative efforts undertaken by all the resources at the scene has ensured the safety of our community.
Anyone with information that may assist police or anyone who may have dash camera video and was travelling in the Anne Street and Edgehill Drive area at the time of the incident is asked to please call Barrie Police at 705-725-7025.
| Occurrence #: | BA23062777 |
| Prepared by: | Corporate Communications Coordinator Peter Leon |