Bomb scare closes Brand

DOWNTOWN — A false bomb threat shut down more than a square block of downtown Glendale Friday, after a passenger getting off the Metro Transportation Authority Route 92 bus claimed he had left a bomb on the bus.

A male passenger — who got on in Los Angeles — made the threat to the bus driver at about 11 a.m. when the driver pulled over for a routine stop while heading south on Brand between Wilson and Broadway, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said."When he got off, he told the bus driver there was a bomb on the bus and fled," Lorenz said.

The bus driver then told the passengers to evacuate the bus and then called the police.

Police evacuated the employees and customers of businesses in the surrounding area and shut down surrounding streets while they waited for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad to arrive.

After thoroughly searching the bus, the bomb squad reported that there was no bomb.

But by then Brand Boulevard between Wilson Avenue and Broadway, and Wilson and Broadway between Brand and Orange Avenue had been shut down for two and half hours, and all the business in that square block were evacuated, Lorenz said. Several employees of businesses in the closed off area waited near the corner of Orange Street and Wilson Avenue for the ordeal to come to a close.

"The security guard came in and told us to leave," said James Kang of C&C Business Center. "I heard there was a bomb in front of Chevy’s."

"I always think of the city as one of the safest places in Los Angeles," said Dave Sully of Buffalo, New York, who was visiting Glendale for the week. "This is the last thing you would expect."

Brian Patnett was on his lunch break when the streets were closed off.

"It’s a good thing they’re taking this seriously," he said.

The street closures also tied up traffic in the downtown until after the streets were reopened at about 130 p.m.

"We suffered major gridlock," Lorenz said.

Traffic was jammed from Central to Glendale avenues and Colorado Street all te way to the freeway, he said.

Law enforcement officials did not have any leads on who the man was as of press time.

"This situation is unique because it’s on a bus in the downtown area, so we took all precautions," Lorenz said.