West Hollywood breathed a sigh of relief Sunday after a "suspicious package" scare came to an anticlimactic end with authorities giving the all clear, FOX LA reported. The package, first reported around 1:30 p.m. in front of an unnamed business on Melrose Avenue, triggered an evacuation of nearby buildings and roads were blocked with deputies swarming the scene. Residents saw a deputy's cruiser and yellow tape cordoning off parts of Rangeley Avenue and N. Robertson Boulevard through images shared on the Citizen application.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad was called out to tackle the potential threat even though it wasn't immediately clear what the package contained the area was deemed safe after a careful sweep, as stated by authorities to ABC7. The scare, reported at about 11:20 a.m. on the 8800 block of Melrose Avenue, forced some businesses to evacuate during the time-intensive probe, despite officials not specifying which businesses were affected.
#LASD SEB Tactical Bomb Techs on scene on Melrose Ave in West Hollywood regarding a suspicious package that was dropped off. Package determined to be non-hazardous. Neighborhood safe. pic.twitter.com/5PtvZo7Yww
— SEB (@SEBLASD) January 28, 2024
Despite tensions running high during these uncertain hours, by approximately 2:30 p.m. the bomb squad had delivered a "Code 4" -- code for no threat detected, however, the nature of the once-suspicious package remained undisclosed by the department.
