Downtown LA Metro Station Reopened After Suspicious Package Investigation

A suspicious package forced the closure of a downtown Los Angeles Metro station for about 3 1/2 hours Monday night.

A two-man patrol unit found the item about 6:30 p.m. at Metro's Seventh Street/Metro Center Station, at the intersection of Seventh and Flower streets, according to Ramon Montenegro of the Sheriff's Transit Policing Division.

A bomb-sniffing dog detected the possibility of an explosive, prompting the evacuation of the station and the deployment of the sheriff's Arson- Explosives Detail, Montenegro said.

Shortly before 10 p.m., the item was rendered safe and the station was being reopened, Montenegro said.

Trains had been bypassing the station and a bus bridge was set up to get passengers into and out of the station area, he said.