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Pennsylvania state police found two working pipe bombs while searching for the suspect who allegedly ambushed two police officers on Sept. 12, resulting in the death of one officer.
The homemade devices, packed with bits of metal, could explode like a grenade when thrown or be used as a booby trap when set with a trip wire, said Lieutenant Colonel Greg Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
The explosives were either dropped or discarded by Frein because he was “under pressure and he abandoned them,” Bivens said at a briefing outside the police barracks where a sniper killed Corporal Bryon Dickson and wounded Trooper Alex Douglass on September 12.
Troopers found other items in the woods but Bivens declined to identify them.
“I do think we’ve significantly degraded his capacity,” Bivens said. “I’m sure he’s stressed. … I’m sure he’s not sleeping well at night.”
Bivens earlier said troopers had found Frein’s AK-47 rifle and ammunition a few miles from the sniper’s nest where he allegedly opened fire on the troopers nearly three weeks ago.
Douglass, who is “on a long road to recovery,” was not scheduled to work on the night he was shot and was filling in for a colleague, Bivens said.
That has led investigators to conclude that the sniper had not targeted the troopers as individuals, confirming their belief that he held a grudge against law enforcement.
Bivens said there were other reasons to believe Frein is still in the area.
In the last 24 hours, troopers searching the dense woods believe they again spotted the suspect, dressed in dark clothing, but he managed to slip away.
“He’s using skills he’s taught himself over the years to avoid police,” Bivens said.
Bivens said the search area is about 5 square miles, though the parameters change with fresh information. In that zone, trackers have found several hideaways, resembling hunting blinds, that Frein may have used.
Bivens said he believes that Frein’s plans went awry the night of the shooting when he drove his Jeep into a pond a few miles from the barracks.
Bivens did not elaborate on Frein’s initial plan but said he believed the suspect, now on the FBI’s most wanted list, had stashed supplies in the woods where he is hiding.
Agencies/Canadajournal
