Crime & Safety

Alert: Suspicious Suitcase Closes Irvine Center Drive

By City News Service

Irvine police closed a stretch of Irvine Center Drive today for nearly four hours, until a suitcase found along the road was determined to be harmless.

The unattended suitcase was spotted near Enterprise and Center Drive at 7:09 a.m., Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen said.

Irvine Center Drive was closed in both directions between Alton Parkway and the San Diego (405) Freeway as a precaution, she said.

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"The suitcase was deemed suspicious because it was left unattended," Engen said.

Irvine police police called the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which dispatched its bomb squad to the location and "used a couple of techniques to render the suitcase safe, including a controlled detonation," she said. "Nothing suspicious was found."

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The roads were reopened and the location was cleared about 10:50 a.m., Engen said.

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