Today was full of excitement in SLC. The "package" was a bookbag. There were explosives and mercury switches - a bomb. Contrary to the story, the bookbag was detonated. The HAZMAT teams were on-site to clean up the mercury from the mercury switches.
NEW TODAY: Train station opens after bomb scare in Sandy
By Nate Carlisle
The Salt Lake Tribune
The southernmost portion of the TRAX line was closed for about five hours Thursday when a conductor found what police believe is a bomb.
The TRAX platform at 10000 South and 115 East in Sandy opened about 3:45 p.m., though some environmental inspection of the platform was still underway. All TRAX lines are running. A bomb squad was called to the 10000 South stop earlier today to determine what was inside a backpack and an attached metal box, said Sandy police Sgt. Victor Quezada.
"It looked like it had all the components to a bomb, but we're not sure it was actually hooked up to go off," Quezada said. About 11 a.m., a passenger reported to UTA that he or she left a laptop suitcase on the train, Quezada said. A second person about the same time went to UTA's lost-and-found office in downtown Salt Lake City to report that he had left a package on a southbound train that had just departed, officials said.
The conductor on that train found the package at the next stop and set it aside until he finished his run to the end of the line in Sandy. At that station, the conductor inspected the package at a guard shack, determined it might be a bomb and called police.
About two hours after his first visit, the man who reported the missing package returned to the lost and found downtown. He reluctantly gave his name as Dave Messenger.
He was described as in his late 20s, with a dark complexion, about 6 feet tall and about 150 pounds. He was wearing camoflage pants.
Officials do not know whether his report of a lost package was related to the person who called in the missing laptop, which has not been found.
After the train and station was evacuated, the suspicious package was removed from the train. A bomb squad later hit it with a burst of water to defuse or detonate it, Quezada said. There was no detonation, Quezada said.
Environmental officials in protective suits were scanning the area, apparently with chemical-detection equipment, Thursday afternoon. |
