The owner of a Scottsdale hot dog joint suffered minor injuries from an explosive device authorities suspect may have been a pipe bomb thrown through the front window of his business late Sunday night.
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It was the second bomb to hit the restaurant in about four years, and authorities said the latest was not a random act.
Scottsdale police said Dick Melone of Dickie’s Dogs, 10101 E. Bell Road, was in the back of the store doing paperwork when he heard his window smash at about 10:30 p.m.
When he went to check on the noise, the device exploded, shattering the front window and causing extensive damage to the front of the seven-year-old restaurant.
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“We’re grateful he was not in the front area of the restaurant when this happened,” said Scottsdale Police officer Dave Pubins. “It could’ve been much worse. We’re continuing to piece together forensic evidence.”
A bomb struck Dickie’s on July 5, 2004, about 9:30 p.m., and police said “there are some similarities that may link” the incidents. The 2004 incident was never solved and they are unsure of a motive at this time, Pubins said.
Melone, who told police he did not see anyone who could have been involved in Sunday night’s incident, suffered minor cuts from shattered glass. Small pieces of glass from the restaurant’s front window covered the sidewalk in front of it.
Bomb shrapnel also went through the wall of Thompson Peak Chiropractic, an adjoining business west of Dickie’s, but no one was in that business at the time of the explosion. A Subway sandwich shop is to the east of the business, but was not damaged.
Melone, who was sporting tattoos and a black Everlast boxing T-shirt, surveyed the damage as he nervously smoked a cigarette and spoke on the cell phone.
“I was going to start cleaning, but I don’t know where to start,” Melone said over the phone. Melone went on to say, “I can’t say anything,” and wouldn’t comment further.
A woman who works at the chiropractic office, but would not give her name, said she arrived at the office about 8:45 this morning and saw the police cars and broken glass. She also said that she had not noticed any unusual activity at the restaurant.
“It’s shocking,” the woman said. “This is very shocking.”
Someone disabled the Dickie’s alarm system before the device exploded in the kitchen area of the restaurant, police said.
Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also are assisting Scottsdale police in the investigation.
