Bomb Scare Shuts Down Part Of Hollywood And Highland
HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A bomb scare shut down the heart of Hollywood Friday evening.
At 10 p.m. Friday, KCAL9's Peter Daut reported from the location.
He reported, "Right now, things are back to normal but earlier tonight several businesses had to evacuate and traffic came to a halt."
It was a chaotic scene at one of the world's busiest intersections.
"It's a pain in the butt," said one man.
The intersection was shut down for more than an hour after a suspicious backpack was found on the tracks at the Metro Red Line station. Service was interrupted from North Hollywood to Union Station.
Authorities evacuated the station and closed several surrounding streets. The timing couldn't be worse -- this disruption happened just as the evening rush was starting.
"People just trying to have a good time on Hollywood Boulevard end up having to change their plans," said Melvyn Marroquin, manager of Souvenirs of Hollywood. The store had to evacuate and he says business took a hit.
"It definitely impacts whenever we have costumers just trying to even escape the rain, who are looking for a place to shop, buy their souvenirs it was a bit of hassle," Marroquin says.
The famous El Capitan Theatre also evacuated -- an inconvenience for many people, including a couple from out of town who had planned a romantic date.
"At least they're taking precautions to make sure all of us are safe," said Mason Inocentes.
Headaches asidem Daut says the tourist couple from Indiana say it's an experience they'll never forget.
"Fire trucks and cop cars and helicopters. -- that doesn't happen in Indiana, so it was kind of interesting to us," said Pam Muhlenkamp.
Daut reported it's still unclear what was inside the backpack but around 7:30 p.m. the Metro station got the all clear.