UPDATE, 4:45pm: The suspicious item that caused several streets to be closed in Santa Cruz late Wednesday morning was not a threat, the Santa Cruz Police Department said.
Officers from SCPD, and the Santa Cruz County bomb team, responded to a report of a pipe with duct tape on both ends and wires hanging out on West Cliff Drive near Bay Street at about 11:40am.
“While investigating the situation, Santa Cruz Police took the necessary precautions and closed off the surrounding streets and issued a shelter-in-place order for the residences,” SCPD said in a statement.
There is no evidence that the device was intended to create alarm, police said.
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SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz Police are dealing with a ‘suspicious object’ that was found on the West Side of Santa Cruz Wednesday afternoon, forcing the closure of several roads and a shelter-in-place order for residents.
Police have teamed up with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s bomb team at the corner of West Cliff Drive at Bay Street.
A witness reported a suspicious cylinder-shaped object lying beside the popular pedestrian and bike path just before 1pm.
Authorities have closed West Cliff Drive and part of Pacific Avenue, as well as Bay and front streets.
The bomb team has deployed “Sparky,” the robot designed to handle dangerous objects.
As of 1:35pm the incident was ongoing.
Reporter Todd Guild contributed to this report.
