On Tuesday night, two loud bangs were heard at the Boston Marathon finish line at Boylston Street after ceremonies to mark the one-year anniversary of the bombings completed. The loud bangs came from bomb squads detonating suspicious backpacks left in the area, according to the New York Daily News.
A man walking down the street, without shoes on, was yelling “Boston Strong” and left one backpack close to 7 p.m. in the vicinity of last year’s bombing.
The man, identified as 25-year-old Kayvon Edson, was taken into custody immediately. He has been charged with disorderly conduct, possession of a hoax device and disturbing the peace.
A second bag left at the scene was also detonated, but it might have been left behind by someone else. The suspect was wearing all black clothes and black makeup. He told officers that he had a rice cooker in the bag.
Boylston Street was evacuated for several hours after Edson ran down the street and dropped the bag. The rice cooker was filled with confetti. The other unattended bag was filled with photography equipment.
Three people were killed and 260 were injured in the bombings at last year’s event. The marathon is scheduled for Monday, April 21 this year. A moment of silence was held across the country at 2:49 p.m. to mark the anniversary.