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Disneyland worker arrested in trash can explosion at park

Musician Keith Richards, a cast member in the motion picture fantasy "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", attends the premiere of the film with his wife Patti Hansen at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on May 7, 2011. UPI/Jim Ruymen
Musician Keith Richards, a cast member in the motion picture fantasy "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", attends the premiere of the film with his wife Patti Hansen at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on May 7, 2011. UPI/Jim Ruymen | License Photo

ANAHEIM, Calif., May 29 (UPI) -- Police in Anaheim, Calif., said they have arrested a Disneyland employee on charges related to an explosion at the Mickey's Toontown section of the theme park.

Christian, Barnes, 22, of Long Beach, Calif., was booked on suspicion of possession of a destructive device, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. Barnes, who worked as an outdoor vendor, selling water and soft drinks at the theme park, was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, police said.

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The explosion Tuesday appeared to be caused by dry ice in a plastic bottle that had been placed in a trash can.

The blast prompted an hours-long evacuation of Mickey's Toontown.

"In an abundance of caution, the area was evacuated," Disneyland said on its Twitter account Tuesday night. "There were no injuries and no reported damage."

"Just a big boom and the trash can exploding ... the lid coming up ... People were at a standstill," Vanessa Vasquez told the KCBS-TV, Los Angeles. "It was kind of a little scary when I saw the whole area [look like a] ghost town."

Sgt. Bob Dunn of the Anaheim Police Department said Wednesday Barnes was cooperating with investigators and "has indicated this is an isolated incident with unanticipated impacts."

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Although the explosion did not cause significant damage, Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement the park takes "matters like this very seriously."

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