lily
04-17-2008, 10:15 PM
'Bomb threat' shuts interchange at 605, 5 freeways
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By Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:01 PM PDT, April 17, 2008
All lanes at the interchange of the 605 and 5 freeways are closed indefinitely this afternoon as authorities search the area for a suspicious package they're considering a "bomb threat."
California Highway Patrol Officer Vince Ramirez said that a person anonymously called at 12:52 p.m. to report that a suspicious package was in the interchange's vicinity. The caller did not indicate the size or contents of the package.
"Being that it was anonymous, units have treated it as a bomb threat," Ramirez said.
At 1 p.m., California Highway Patrol closed down all lanes of the interchange to search for the package and to call in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's bomb squad.
The northbound 605 is closed at Firestone Boulevard and the southbound 605 is closed at Telegraph Road. The northbound 5 is closed at Studebaker Road and southbound 5 at Lakewood Boulevard.
Authorities from the California Highway Patrol, L.A. County Sheriff's Department and local police agencies such as the Downey Police Department are searching for the package now, adding that the investigation could shut down the interchange area for many more hours into the afternoon commute.
"People are obviously looking around to get around that area but we have a lot of traffic clogging the surface streets around the freeways," Ramirez said. "We are asking everyone to avoid driving through the area."
template_bas
template_bas
By Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:01 PM PDT, April 17, 2008
All lanes at the interchange of the 605 and 5 freeways are closed indefinitely this afternoon as authorities search the area for a suspicious package they're considering a "bomb threat."
California Highway Patrol Officer Vince Ramirez said that a person anonymously called at 12:52 p.m. to report that a suspicious package was in the interchange's vicinity. The caller did not indicate the size or contents of the package.
"Being that it was anonymous, units have treated it as a bomb threat," Ramirez said.
At 1 p.m., California Highway Patrol closed down all lanes of the interchange to search for the package and to call in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's bomb squad.
The northbound 605 is closed at Firestone Boulevard and the southbound 605 is closed at Telegraph Road. The northbound 5 is closed at Studebaker Road and southbound 5 at Lakewood Boulevard.
Authorities from the California Highway Patrol, L.A. County Sheriff's Department and local police agencies such as the Downey Police Department are searching for the package now, adding that the investigation could shut down the interchange area for many more hours into the afternoon commute.
"People are obviously looking around to get around that area but we have a lot of traffic clogging the surface streets around the freeways," Ramirez said. "We are asking everyone to avoid driving through the area."