A piece of PVC pipe caused the shut down of Chester Avenue between 7th and 10th Streets in Bakersfield Thursday morning after a witness said a man placed a bomb outside the Catholic Charities building.

The bomb squad detonated the non-explosive pipe at the scene, but Sergeant Gary Carruesco with the BPD says they are taking it to a lab to make there is no harmful residue.

Police say the man who dropped the pipe is in his 30s, and they want to talk to him.

Kelli Forsch