Authorities are trying to determine who was responsible for leaving a potentially deadly bomb that was discovered early Tuesday morning at a north Fayette gas station.

The device was found outside the QuikTrip convenience store, which is on Ga. Highway 85 North near the Fayette-Clayton county line, near a trash bin. It was safely disarmed by the Clayton County Bomb Squad, according to Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson.

It is not yet known if the device could have actually exploded or if it was a hoax device.

Johnson, who initially saw the device from a video feed that came from the bomb-handling robot, said it looked plenty real. The device was safely disabled when the bomb squad used a water cannon with high-pressure spray to separate what appeared to be a detonator from a propane tank it was attached to. The tank was comparable in size to the propane tanks used for portable camping stoves.

“It was a good-looking apparatus,” Johnson said. “... Even if this is a prank, it looked real serious.”

A review of the device after it was disabled showed a black tank that had two wires leading from it. It is not yet known if the device could have actually exploded or if it was a hoax device.

The bomb squad used its robot to move the device further away from the QuikTrip building and the highway just in case it would explode when it was shot with the water cannon, Johnson said.

The sheriff said detectives would determine whether someone, perhaps a customer or employee, had any kind of grievance with the business that might have led up to the incident.

It is too early to tell who might have built and delivered the device, Johnson added. Evidence was collected from the scene, officials confirmed.

While the bomb squad dealt with the situation, Hwy. 85 was shut down in both directions as motorists were diverted onto nearby Ga. Highway 279 to go to and from the Fayetteville area. The road was fully reopened shortly after the device was successfully disarmed, officials said.

Once the device was disarmed and the tense moments fell to the wayside, law enforcement officials were at least able to laugh somewhat about the scenario.

“I said, ‘Somebody must’ve gotten some bad gas at that station,’” Johnson said before noting that gas prices have recently gotten many motorists hot under the collar.

The incident started about 7:30 a.m. when a convenience store employee noticed the “suspicious device” and ended less than three hours later.

While the device was disarmed, crews from the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services stood by just in case an explosion occurred.

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