Man Handed Minor Drug Ticket Following Pipe Bomb Scare

A man authorities say was under the influence of narcotics this weekend was handed a minor drug citation after what appeared to be a pipe bomb in his car turned out not to be.

The man, whose name wasn't immediately available, pulled over in the 100 block of South Highland Street at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday and asked what turned out to be an off-duty police officer for directions, Arlington County Fire Lt. Sarah Marchegiani told Patch.

The officer saw drug paraphernalia and noticed the driver acting "strangely," she said, and so he called on-duty officers to the scene.

One of the officers spotted a "potential" pipe bomb in the man's back seat and called the Arlington County Bomb Squad, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

A bomb technician determined the item was simply a pipe with a cap on each end. There were no fuses or anything inside of it, Marchegiani said. It was determined to not be a threat.

During this time, the man was taken to police headquarters and questioned. He received a summons for marijuana possession, Sternbeck said.

South Highland Street between Route 50 and 2nd Street South was closed for much of the afternoon.

Authorities cleared the scene at about 7 p.m., Marchegiani said.