Suspicious package causes evacution
BRAWLEY — A suspicious package that was later discovered to contain contraband, caused the evacuation of the Pioneers Medical Arts Building here Monday afternoon.
Law enforcement officials would not divulge precise information regarding the package, but confirmed it was not a bomb, which was first believed when the original call of the suspicious package was received by police.
Brawley Police Cmdr. Brett Houser said the department received a call of a suspicious package attached to a vehicle on the parking lot of the Pioneers Medical Arts Building (PMAB), which is located across the street from Pioneers Memorial Hospital and is part of the Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District. The call came in at about 1 p.m.
Houser said once officers located the package, they contacted the Imperial County Fire Arson and Bomb Unit. While the bomb unit inspected the package, Brawley police evacuated the PMAB.
“They (bomb unit) responded to the area and utilizing different technologies were able to determine that it wasn’t a bomb,” he said. “It was contraband.”
He added it’s an ongoing investigation so he couldn’t provide further information as to the vehicle it was found attached to or the owner of the vehicle. He also couldn’t explain the exact contents of the package, which was a brown grocery bag.
Pioneers hospital in May 2016, performed a live shooter drill. On Monday, PMH staff implemented some of the steps utilized during said shooter training to make sure everyone remained calm and safe.
“We conservatively evacuated at the police recommendation and waited patiently while they brought in resources to make sure the reported-suspicious package was identified, and they did that,” said PMH CEO Larry Lewis.
“I think it went very well,” Lewis said of his staff’s response to the potential threat.
Staffers and patients from the Pioneers Medical Arts Building were taken into the hospital’s auditorium across the street while the package was investigated. “Once we learned of what the nature of the concern was, we did not overreact. This situation is slightly different from what we rehearsed (shooter drill), but when we do, we have steps to take to make sure that we clearly understand and make everyone as safe as possible, as quickly as we can.”