Small pipe bomb safely recovered outside Sacred Heart on Thursday night

After a bomb was discovered outside Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Thursday evening, the Spokane Police Department Bomb Squad was able to safely recover the small homemade weapon.

A concerned citizen found the device in the area and brought it to Sacred Heart security near the emergency room just before 7 p.m., according to a Spokane Police Department news release.

Security immediately began cordoning off the area until police arrived to maintain a perimeter around the emergency department entrance.

The bomb squad was able to render the device safe, the news release said.

Upon initial inspection, the device appeared to be a small pipe bomb that could have injured a person had it detonated nearby. However, it was not large enough to damage the hospital building, police said.

An investigation into the pipe bomb is ongoing. The news release reminded citizens to report suspicious objects rather than move them.