A device resembling a pressure cooker was found late Monday afternoon in a trash can near the Third Street Promenade, prompting evacuations along the popular shopping and dining area as a bomb squad was called in to investigate.
The Santa Monica Police Department announced about 6 p.m. that the item had been found in the 1400 block of the Promenade.
People were asked to leave the area and a nearby stretch of Broadway was closed to vehicular traffic.
A sheriff's bomb squad was called in to examine the item and determine if it posed a threat, police said.
Officials announced about 8:25 p.m. that the device posed no threat to the public.
The evacuated lower third of the Promenade and the closed portion of Broadway were expected to be reopened by 10 p.m., police said.
