The Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks was temporarily shut down Saturday morning as police investigated a suspicious device that wound up being an egg.
The item was reported near the "decoration area" inside a Macy's department store located in the 14000 block of Riverside Drive at around 7:40 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
A Macy's worker found two suspicious packages that both resembled Christmas ornaments on a store display, police said.
Two round-shaped devices, with wires poking out of it, were found wrapped in duct tape with a message that read "Stop Christmas," a watch commander with the LAPD said.
#LAPD #Update on Suspicious pkg- 14000 block of Riverside- Egg wrapped in duct tape only. pic.twitter.com/zLJpRXxJhm
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) November 28, 2015Store and mall employees were evacuated during the investigation. The shopping square was scheduled to open at 10 a.m.
A bomb squad gave the all clear at 10:35 a.m. The mall was expected to reopen shortly after.
Shoppers were evacuated again from the Macy’s around noon when there were reports of the smell of smoke on the third floor of the store.
There was no fire, but firefighters found a burned and frayed belt in the air conditioning unit up on the roof, said Andrew Wordin, battalion chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
There were no reported injuries.
