SAN PEDRO, Calif. - Authorities say vandalism may be the cause of an apparent vehicle explosion in the parking garage of a hotel that prompted evacuations less than a mile from a Los Angeles-area harbor.
Los Angeles Police Lt. John Romero says investigators no longer believe it was a bomb that broke the window and created a small hole in the door of an SUV Sunday morning.
A caller reported hearing a blast at 7:30 a.m. in the commercial area of San Pedro. A short time later a patrol officer with the Port Police discovered the damaged SUV in the underground garage.
The bomb squad sent in robots and police evacuated nearby businesses.
Romero says investigators determined that the damage may have been caused by vandalism but how the noise was generated remains a mystery.