Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad destroyed a dry ice bomb that had been discovered Saturday afternoon in Newhall.

Deputies established a perimeter around the device and shot two rounds from a pellet gun into it at about 6:15 p.m.

Neighbors  had spotted teenagers engaged in suspicious activity shortly before 5 p.m. and alerted deputies to the device – a clear, plastic water bottle that sat ominously in front of the gate at the end of Valley Street.

Penetrated with pellet holes, the bottle tipped over without incident. Deputies dumped its remaining contents onto the street and placed the empty container into an evidence bag.

A dry ice bomb is made by packing dry ice – the frozen, solid form of carbon dioxide – into a bottle with water and sealing it. As the contents warm, the carbon dioxide expands beyond the capacity of the bottle and it explodes. A shattered bottle can cause lacerations, and any chemical additives can burn skin.

Saturday’s device was believed to contain only water when its contents were discarded. Any lingering carbon dioxide would have dissipated when it was destroyed.

Dry ice bombs and similar devices intended to cause a chemical reaction for destructive purposes are illegal in California.

Tick, tick, tick... Photo by Eliott Cohen for SCVNews.com