Karina Gonzalez
A suspicious package became the focus of a bomb squad investigation Feb. 20 after an anonymous caller reported the object, located atop a parking permit meter, to campus sheriffs.
Shortly before 7 p.m. deputies began to restrict access to the area of parking lot seven directly in front of the Child Development Center, which was closed at the time.
Officers from transit services, Metro transportation, Los Angeles Police Department and Sheriff’s deputies from other local campuses also responded to the call.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said student Lisa Levine.
She continued, “My professor ended class early and we were just walking out like normal.”
She then discovered that the entire parking lot had been closed down, in addition to Victory Boulevard between Mason Street and DeSoto Avenue.
According to Sheriff’s Officer Justin Ramos, a report of a suspicious package was called in to the campus Sheriff’s station.
Upon investigation, the bomb squad was called in.
Deputies first began to wrap caution tape around a small area, but continued to widen the restricted section of campus as the bomb squad dictated, according to Ramos.
Helicopters flying overhead alerted many students to the disturbance during the initial minutes.
As students were released from night classes, crowds gathered in front of the side road gate near the Child Development Center and at the east end of the mall, where Sheriff’s cars and caution tape kept them from their cars and the investigation operation.
When the object was detonated by the bomb squad, and a loud ‘boom’ could be heard across the area and a few of the students gathered by the CDC screamed in surprise.
According to Deputy A Guerrero, the object “was a file box that could not be seen through.”
“I think everybody is overreacting … especially since 9/11,” said student Wayne Reese, as he left his architecture class and briefly stopped to look at the crowd before continuing on to his car.
Throughout the event, the college entrance at Winnetka Avenue remained open and students who had cars parked in other lots were free to go.
According to President Robert Garber, who had left for the day, returned to campus after Nabil Abu-Ghazalleh, vice president of academic affairs, informed him of the incident, sheriff’s personnel “immediately went into action” following the phone call.
Garber said that “there have been other bomb scares or bomb threats” on the Pierce campus, but that this was the first one since his return after a 10-year absence.
Guerrero noted, “When you leave something on campus that cannot be identified, in this day and age we must be careful.”
At 9:25 p.m. the lot was reopened and students were allowed to return to their cars and leave campus..
Students leave campus following a Feb. 20 incident that closed down Parking Lot 7 for more than two hours. The bomb squad was called in after a report of a suspicious package atop a parking permit meter was called in to the campus sheriff’s office shortly before 7 p.m. ()