A suspicious bag was dropped off at the Wells Fargo Bank in the UCLA Wilshire Center at about 11:22 this morning, resulting in an evacuation of the building lasting several hours.
Officer Kate Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said the LAPD bomb squad responded and the bag turned out not to be a bomb. She added that the police have a suspect in custody.
Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services for university police, said she observed that the bag was filled with clothing or other fabric items.
The building was fully evacuated, and because of regular drills at the facility, the evacuation went very smoothly, said Loana O’Reilly the building director.
Several blocks in the area were cordoned off, resulting in increased traffic coming into campus.
The affected areas were Wilshire Boulevard between Glendon and Veteran avenues, Lindbrook Drive north of Wilshire, and Ashton Avenue south of Wilshire.
By 2:35 p.m. the streets, the UCLA building and the bank were reopened without incident.
With reports from Ken Robinson, Bruin senior staff.