HEMET: Bomb squad called for suspicious package lodged under government vehicle at recruiting center

HEMET — City and County law enforcement officials and members of the Sheriff’s bomb squad who responded to reports of a suspicious looking package found under a vehicle later determined the box had been empty and posed no danger.

Despite that fact it was not immediately known if the empty box, which was found lodged under the driver’s door of a government vehicle parked alongside several other government vehicles outside a military recruiting center, had been placed there with the intention of creating an emergency requiring a large police and fire response.

Recent incidents involving false or real emergencies called in or caused by suspects who later used the opportunities to shoot at – and in some cases injure and/or kill emergency first responders – only served to heighten officer’s levels of alertness during the investigation.

The bomb scare happened Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 2, in the Target shopping center parking lot, southwest of the intersection of Sanderson and Florida Avenues, in Hemet.

During the incident, some nearby businesses were evacuated or closed voluntarily and some sections of the parking lot were cordoned off by crime scene tape.

In spite of the high-profile investigation most nearby businesses, including Antonio’s Pizza, Mia’s Country Kitchen and Target remained open.

City of Hemet Police and Fire personnel were dispatched to the parking lot about 3 p.m., after receiving a 911 call reporting a closed box found lodged under a government vehicle parked outside the U.S. Army Recruiting Center.  

After arriving at the scene, officers determined the package and the way it was wedged underneath the government vehicle was suspicious enough to warrant further investigation. Bomb squad members from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Hazardous Device Team were summoned to the scene to assist in safely inspecting the package and rendering it safe if necessary.

Deputies soon arrived and used two, remotely controlled robots to conduct a closer inspection of the box.

After the two robots rolled in for a closer look, from a safe distance away the operators used a pincer on one of the robots’ arms to pull the box out from underneath the sedan before moving it to the rear of the car.

The second robot then picked up the box and manipulate it for a more in-depth inspection.

Officials used cameras mounted on the two robots to see if there were any contents within the box.

After the robots completed their inspection, a Hemet police officer wearing a Kevlar helmet approached the package and confirmed the robots’ findings and determined the package was empty and posed no actual danger.

Although officials did not close Sanderson or Florida Avenues during the investigation, the heavy law enforcement and fire presence in the parking lot caused traffic to back up in all directions. Traffic returned to normal shortly after the conclusion of the initial investigation.

Hemet PD is investigating the incident and officials have not yet released a statement or provided any additional details.

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Robert Carter/Public Safety Incidents video

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.