About 2,000 people were evacuated from Santa Monica Place by the Santa Monica Police Department late Monday afternoon, following a series of phoned bomb threats.
In response to the phone calls, Santa Monica Place security guards searched the premises, found a “suspicious package,” and, at about 4:30 p.m., called SMPD, according to Lt. Frank Fabrega.
In addition to emptying the three-story mall, SMPD also shut down the streets adjacent to it, and cleared out nearby businesses on Broadway and the southernmost block of the Third Street Promenade.
When the area was secure, The L.A. County Sheriff’s bomb squad moved in and conducted an investigation. The “suspicious package” turned out to be a black briefcase.According to Fabrega, by 7:45 p.m., it was business as usual again in Santa Monica Place and downtown Santa Monica.