Valencia said the sellout crowd was already starting to leave when the evacuation began. By the time I arrived, they had already secured the area. From what I was told by the officers, was that the arena K-9 bomb dogs got a hit on the package. With that information, my next step was to call the bomb squad to have them come out, secure, and render the suspicious package safe, he said. Valencia said the suspicious package looked like a shoebox and was discovered under a table behind a restaurant in the northeast corner of the arena. Carlos Valencia said he received a call about the package from an officer working part-time at the game around 9:30 p.m. Utah players quickly headed for their cars in the parking lot – center Rudy Gobert was still in uniform as he left. Outside, they were directed by security to leave the premises. Not long after both coaches finished answering postgame questions from the media, a spokesman for the Jazz told reporters to exit the building due to the suspicious package. Most fans had already exited Vivint Smart Home Arena following Utah’s 113-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors when players, coaches and reporters were instructed to leave immediately. Salt Lake City police said the package turned out to be a toolbox, and the Jazz said employees were cleared by authorities to re-enter the building a couple of hours after the evacuation. "We go through a process and keep people safe.SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Minutes after an NBA game ended Friday night, the Utah Jazz’s home arena was evacuated because of a suspicious package. The bottom line, Gisselberg said, is that "the safety of everyone on base is our top priority on every response and course of action we develop. "Most of the time, the flight sergeant will evaluate the package and see that it is not hostile," he said. The package turned out to be a box of clothes, but the reporting person "did the right thing" by calling security forces, Gisselberg said.īrinson said most suspicious packages turn out to be "unattended items." "We took all the necessary precautions, such as evacuating the clinic and calling the EOD unit at Lackland," he said. "The hazmat response team responded and declared it was not a threat," he said.Īnother report of a suspicious package occurred in April when a parcel was found outside the medical clinic, Gisselberg said. One of the most recent reports of a suspicious package at Randolph - a mailed item - occurred last month at Air Force Personnel Center, Gisselberg said. If it is deemed hostile, it will be controlled detonated." "Explosive ordnance disposal specialists will access the package and determine its hostility. "The fire chief and security forces lead will meet and establish the appropriate cordon for the size of the package and get the affected area evacuated," he said. Other red flags are that the package is mailed from a foreign country and that it's addressed to someone's title, not a person, he said.Įmergency responders who arrive on the scene follow their own protocol, Brinson said. They include no return address, excessive postage, misspelled words, strange odors, oil stains or discoloration, excessive tape and a ticking noise. Gisselberg said it's also important for people near the site to comply with emergency responders' instructions.ĭetermining that a package is suspicious depends on "multiple things," Brinson said. "You don't want to jeopardize anyone's safety." "You want to keep people away, at a safe distance," he said. That means notifying a nearby building's facility manager, if possible, or its occupants, Gisselberg said. Robert Brinson, 802nd Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of operations, also advised to "keep everyone away from the item until emergency personnel arrive." "Then leave the area and contact security forces," he said. Gisselberg said to "gather as much visual data" about the package as possible, including its size, dimensions, color, markings, sounds and odors - "anything and everything about it. "If you find something that seems out of place, see if there's anyone around the area it might belong to, but don't touch the package," he said. Leif Gisselberg, 902nd Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of operations, said. The first rule of thumb is to leave the package alone, Master Sgt. A suspicious package may be nothing more than a harmless unattended item, but it's important that anyone who makes the discovery follow the proper protocol in reporting it, Joint Base San Antonio security forces officials said.
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