Rob AriasOakland Police evacuated several buildings centered around the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Stanford on Saturday after a suspicious package was discovered at about 3 p.m. A postal carrier discovered a device at the bottom of the blue collection box according to U.S. Postal Inspector spokesman Jeff Fitch.
Police diverted traffic away from the intersection and dozens of displaced residents could be seen standing outside of the perimeter cordoned off by yellow police tape. The location of the incident was said to be centered around the Siddha Yoga Ashram.
Our block has been closed all day from a bomb threat. Just found out the suspicious package they found was confirmed to be a bomb. pic.twitter.com/fBMIKQk82h
— Kyle Good Wayne Toward Menson (@kylewaynebenson) December 3, 2017
Postal Inspectors, members of a Bomb Squad, the ATF and the Oakland Fire Department all responded to the scene.
Several online sources reported hearing an explosion, although agencies denied there was an actual detonation. Suspicions have been heightened after a similar event in Alameda last month.
Since this is breaking news, we will update this post as new information becomes available.
Suspicious device in mail collection box brings bomb squad to West Oakland
By Rick Hurd
U.S. Postal inspectors still were working Sunday morning to determine who put a suspicious device in a mail collection box and what it was.
Postal inspectors and a bomb squad were called to the corner of Stanford and San Pablo avenues around 3 p.m. Saturday after a postal carrier noticed something strange at the bottom of the blue collection box, U.S. Postal Inspector spokesman Jeff Fitch said.
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