Box dropped at Riverside bank prompts bomb squad investigation
A box dropped in the middle of a drive-through lane at a Riverside bank Thursday prompted an evacuation of the building and an investigation by bomb squad technicians, who determined it was not a threat.
“It turned out to be just an empty box,” Riverside police spokesman Ryan Railsback told City News Service. He said the occupants of a black SUV drove into the customer service lane of the Bank of America at 6370 Magnolia Ave., near Central Avenue, about 3:15 p.m. as if to transact business, then reportedly removed the cardboard box
from the vehicle and dropped it in the lane.
“We initially received second- or third-hand information that it was intentionally placed there, but that’s unverified,” Railsback said.
Fearing that it might be a public safety threat, the branch manager evacuated the property and called 911.
Railsback said bomb squad technicians deployed a remote-controlled robot to look inside the box shortly before 4 p.m. After finding nothing inside, the scene was declared safe, he said.
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