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MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KTVU) -- A traffic stop in Morgan Hill let to police calling the bomb squad Thursday morning after the search of a suspect's backpack turned up what officers thought might be C-4 explosive, according to authorities.
The discovery led to some tense moments in the Morgan Hill neighborhood near Oakwood School.
The incident started shortly before 10 a.m. with a traffic stop of a motorcyclist near Monterrey and John Wilson Way. The officer realized the motorcycle rider had a warrant for his arrest and took the man into custody.
A search of the suspect's backpack turned up three guns and a mystery substance that the officer suspected could be the plastic explosive C-4. The officer believed he had seen something similar during his time in the military.
Streets in the area were quickly blocked off for an eighth of a mile in each direction and students at Oakwood School were told to shelter in place. Morgan Hill Police said they had to take every precaution just in case.
"The stuff can be highly volatile and the community at large could be in danger from a small amount. And so immediately, based on what he said, we went into the protocol measures and began to follow county protocol," explained Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Carson Thomas.
The bomb squad was able to test the substance and identified it as welder's putty fairly quickly. The shelter in place was lifted and the roads were reopened.