‘Suspicious package’ that shut down Vancouver street Thursday not an explosive device: VPD

The Vancouver Police Department says that a suspicious package that shut down a Vancouver street for several hours Thursday was not an explosive device.

Police say they responded to reports of the package outside a building near Hamilton and West Georgia Streets in the afternoon.

“We cordoned off the surrounding area to ensure the public’s safety while patrol officers and specially trained officers from our Emergency Response Team examined the package,” Sgt. Steve Addison told 1130 NewsRadio.

“Our investigation determined that the package was not an explosive device and it did not pose a threat to public safety.”

All roads in the area had reopened by 10 p.m. Thursday.

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The VPD is still working to determine who left the package and what their intentions were.

An office worker who was in one of the buildings nearby at the time of the response says he was told he wasn’t allowed to leave his building for hours.

“Security told me there was a security threat, no one can enter or leave the building, there was police in the lobby,” said Mackenzie Burns, an accountant at Deloitte.

“Around 9 p.m. or so, heard like a blast, sounded not directly outside but a few blocks away.”

Addison says police are aware of social media posts about a number of packages that look similar to this one that are scattered across the city.

Photos online show the packages all have the word “LOOK” on them, written in bright pink or purple.

With files from Angelyna Mintz, Cecilia Hua, and Srushti Gangdev.