Suspicious Package At Union Station Prompts Evacuation

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A suspicious package was found on a Red Line subway car Tuesday, prompting a partial evacuation of Union Station while the sheriff's arson/explosive team conducted an investigation into one of two late-afternoon bomb scares in the downtown area.

The package was discovered at 5:07 p.m. as passengers were getting off the train and authorities were conducting a routine sweep before new passengers boarded, said Gayle Anderson of Metro.

As passengers got off, they told authorities they thought somebody had left a package. When authorities discovered the package, dogs were brought in to sniff it and at first it appeared they had scored a hit, Anderson said. It was later determined that this was not the case, but it put everyone on high alert, she said.

Red Line trains coming into Union Station were stopped at the Civic Center stop on Temple Street between First and Second streets. A bus bridge was established to bring the passengers to Union Station.

The East Portal entrance was kept open for Metrolink, Gold Line and other train passengers, she said. However, the Red Line link was closed while the bomb squad continued its work.

The sheriff's bomb squad moved the package with a robot and exploded it, so the package's contents have not been determined, Anderson said. After the tracks were de-energized, debris from the package on the tracks was removed.

Trains were back to running on schedule by 7:45 p.m., she said.

An unidentified briefcase was discovered in the lobby of the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Station at Sixth and Wall streets at 5:20 p.m. However, it was later determined the package was not explosive.