No explosives found after man drove up to Naval Base Kitsap claiming he had an IED

BREMERTON, Wash.  -- One man’s claim that he was armed with explosives affected thousands of people for hours on Thursday.

“It’s crazy, obviously. This doesn’t happen every day,” Spencer Clark said.

But it did at 9 a.m Thursday when officials say a man drove up to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor claiming he had an improvised explosive device on his body and in his black SUV.

The entire base went into lockdown, keeping base resident Spencer Clark stranded outside as his wife sheltered in place on base.

“Thank God nothing has happened yet,” Clark said.

Clark was among dozens who parked along Highway 308 about half a mile away from the base waiting to get back on base.

One of those people was Monty Moynahan, who had been waiting for three hours.

“Because my job is here and I have a responsibility to be here,” Moynahan said, when asked why he hadn't just turned back to go home.

About five hours after the incident, the base reopened the Trigger gate at the base, letting people come and go from the base. Shortly after that, a captain from the base told reporters that the investigation had turned up no explosives.

At 6:05 p.m., the base announced that all roads were reopened.

The man who made the claim was taken into custody.