Bel Air Teen Faces Felony Charges for Bottle Bombs: Fire Marshal

A 17-year-old has been charged with manufacturing and using improvised explosive devices in Bel Air, according to a report from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

At 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday, authorities responded to a report that shots had been fired in the 900 block of Todd Road, according to the statement.

An investigation by the deputy state fire marshal and the Harford County Sheriff's Office revealed that the boy had been exploding devices commonly referred to as "bottle bombs" in the area, the report said.

The teen was charged with two felony counts of manufacture, possession and distribution of a destructive device and was released to his parents, pending actions by the Harford County Department of Juvenile Services, according to the report.

Teenagers are charged with felonies if officials think they intended to cause damage, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported the explosives have been taken more seriously since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

"The construction of these types of illegal devices has often been misrepresented as fun; however ... [they can] cause loss of vision, permanent hearing loss, severe damage to hands and possibly death," State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci said in a prepared statement.