LAKE ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A quiet Saturday evening in Lake St. Louis would be interrupted by two DIY bombs placed near the Sanders home.
“I thought something in the house had blown up,” Kieth Sanders said. “It looked like some kind of homemade explosive device.”
Keith and his wife, Gina, said they were caught off guard by the explosions and checked their front entryway, where they discovered a plume of smoke and an odor.
“My first immediate reaction was to check on my special needs son, who was pretty much right in front of the explosion,” Gina said.
Neighbor Nick Holman said he has seen these kinds of bombs before, as a retired Marine who served in Iraq, he could tell this wasn’t any small bomb, but an intricate one that could cause major damage.
“It’s a lot more complicated than what most people are going to do … being able to take a look at the damage and everything was there, realized like, hey, this has to be taken pretty seriously because this could have absolutely killed somebody or very close proximity to it,” Holman said.
The explosion caught on camera by neighboring homes, who were eager to help share their videos to catch who did it.
After speaking with Lake St. Louis police chief, Keith said two of the three suspects were in custody. He also said they will remain in juvenile custody until charges are filed.
“In my opinion, they need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” Keith said.