Panic erupted at a Southern California Cheesecake Factory on Thursday night after a man tossed in improvised explosive device, police said.
Pasadena police said the suspect was still at large.
Police Lt. Art Chute said the incident took place at around 6 p.m. He described the explosive as a “homemade pyrotechnic device.”
The restaurant was crowded with patrons settling down for dinner when a man opened the front doors and tossed the device. The device exploded, but no one was injured and there wasn’t any significant damage.
“Officers immediately entered the restaurant and evacuated customers and employees and located a detonated homemade pyrotechnic device,” Pasadena police said in statement. “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Bomb squad responded to the scene and rendered the device safe.”
The suspect was described as a Latino or Middle Eastern man, about 6-feet tall and sporting a “heavy beard,” according to the Orange County Register. He was seen wearing black clothing and a black beanie.
Authorities urged anyone with information to call the Pasadena police at 626-744-4241.
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