Community Corner
5 Freeway Closes While Bomb Squad Detonates Suspicious Tube
The 5 Freeway in Sun Valley was closed down for hours overnight because of a suspicious tube that police ultimately detonated.
A Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad detonated a suspicious tube found early this morning on the Golden State (5) Freeway in Sun Valley -- a discovery that temporarily shut down all north and southbound traffic on the freeway, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The suspicious device was blown up by the bomb squad some time before 3:30 a.m., CHP Officer Alex Rubio told City News Service.
“I’m not sure why they decided to detonate it,” he said. “I haven’t yet got an update on what they found.”
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The suspicious plastic tube was found near Sheldon Street on the southbound side of the 5 Freeway at 12:18 a.m., Rubio said. The CHP and Los Angeles Police Department immediately began taking steps to first establish traffic breaks and then to divert motorists off the affected freeway, he said.
While the LAPD shut down exit and entrance ramps around the site, CHP units began taking all northbound traffic on the 5 Freeway off at the Lankershim Boulevard exit, Rubio added. Meanwhile, all southbound traffic was diverted to the Hollywood (170) Freeway at the connector road between the two freeways. The CHP also issued detour information for drivers trying to navigate their way around the suspicious device.
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A SigAlert was declared by the CHP at 12:50 a.m., Rubio said. The SigAlert was cancelled around 3:35 a.m., when the road was finally cleared.
The investigation into who was responsible for putting the tube on the freeway was continuing, Rubio said.
Officials did not immediately report if the tube contained explosives or any other noxious substance.
- City News Service
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