A California Highway Patrol Officer noticed a suspicious package under a tree at 10:24 a.m. Thursday, during his regular patrol of the Capitol grounds, leading to a swarm of police cars, an evacuation of some offices and street closures around the building for more than an hour.
Around noon, a shout of “Fire in the Hole” preceded a loud bang, as bomb squad officers used their own explosive device to render the device inert.
The spokesman for CHP at the site could not say if the package was an explosive, nor could he describe the size, shape or appearance of the object.
The Capitol building remained open throughout, although the Joint Rules Committee evacuated some offices on the North side of the building, where the device was located.
Sacramento Police Department squad cars blocked traffic around the Capitol, while officers and yellow tape restricted pedestrian movement.
The CHP says it will conduct an investigation, including checking security cameras around the Capitol, to find who placed the device.
The incident is the second bomb scare at the state Capitol this year. In April, a man barricaded himself in his car for nearly two hours, also on the North side of the Capitol. Police found devices that resembled explosives, but were not.
The bomb squad followed a similar procedure on Thursday, using its own explosives to ensure those objects were inert.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today