Suspicious Packages Reported In Fullerton, Los Angeles Determined To Be Harmless; Authorities On 'Heightened Awareness'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two "suspicious package" incidents Monday morning might be evidence that Southern Californians are on edge after several bombs went off in New York and New Jersey over the weekend.
The Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were also on "heightened awareness" Monday after the weekend attacks on the East Coast, KCAL9's Dave Lopez reported.
The first incident happened in Fullerton in the 3100 block of Euclid Street, when a pipe capped on both ends was found, prompting the evacuation of some homes in the area, Fullerton police Sgt. Jon Radus said.
Suspicious device in Fullerton was just detonated by @OCSD bomb squad @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/xxbkktiP5n
— Chris Ercoli (@CErcoliCBS2KCAL) September 19, 2016
By the afternoon, a sheriff's bomb squad had determined the 18-inch-long, 4-inch-wide pipe had no explosives in it, he said. Since it was capped on both ends, investigators assumed it was suspicious out of caution.
"We would like to remind the public that if you see something, say something," Radus said. "This is a perfect example of someone seeing something that didn't seem right and contacting police."
At 11:45 a.m., a bomb squad was later sent to remove an unattended package found on a sidewalk outside the Los Angeles Times building. First and Second streets were closed between Broadway and Spring Street.
The package was later removed and no explosives were found, Los Angeles police officials said.
Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was arrested Monday morning after being wounded in a gun battle with police when he was discovered sleeping in a bar doorway. Authorities had just released his name and photo in connection with the weekend bombings that rocked a New York City neighborhood and New Jersey shore town.
On Saturday night, a shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bomb similar to those used in the Boston Marathon attack exploded in New York's Chelsea section, leaving 29 people with non-serious injuries. Another pressure-cooker bomb that failed to detonate was found blocks away.
Earlier that day, a pipe bomb blew up in Seaside Park, New Jersey, before a charity race to benefit Marines. No one was injured.
Then on Sunday night, five explosive devices were discovered in a trash can at an Elizabeth train station. Investigators said they are still gathering evidence on those bombs and have not publicly tied Rahami to those devices.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)