Sailor found with possible bomb-making materials at San Diego County Navy base

SAN DIEGO —  The main entrance to Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado shut down for several hours Tuesday after a driver was found with possible bomb-making materials, a base spokesperson said.

The incident started about 9 a.m., when a driver approached the gate and was stopped at the request of Naval Criminal Investigative Service officials, base spokesman Kevin Dixon said.

Security officers noticed possible bomb-making materials in the vehicle, but the materials were not assembled into any kind of device, Dixon said. NCIS took the sailor driving the vehicle in for questioning.

Traffic was stopped, and the inbound gate on Third Street and outbound gate at McCain Boulevard were closed. Buildings nearest to the area were evacuated, and people in those a bit farther away were ordered to shelter in place.

People also were told to stay away from the main gate and Building 335. The Commissary, Exchange and Visitor Center were also closed.

Entry to the base was available through the First Street gate and the Ocean Boulevard gate.

Shortly after 2 p.m., base officials posted a notice on Facebook that the gates had reopened, shelter-in-place orders had been lifted and normal operations had resumed.

However, the commercial vehicle inspection lane and the ID lab in the Visitors Center still remained closed.