Los Angeles police have cleared a suspected bomb threat near the venue for this year’s Oscars which was later discovered to be a false alarm.
Local residents were advised to clear the popular tourist area near the Dolby theatre on the junction of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood on Thursday, following reports of a suspicious package in the trunk of a car at around 11am.
The driver of the vehicle was stopped by police after being seen driving erratically, according to the Wrap. He left the vehicle carrying a propane tank and was subsequently arrested. Police closed Hollywood Boulevard, Highland Avenue and nearby Franklin Avenue after the man told officers he had explosives in his car.
The bomb squad were called and according to subsequently deleted posts on the LAPD Wilshire Twitter account used a robot and water cannon to probe the vehicle for explosives. “There is no explosive, that has been cleared. [The driver] is still in custody and is being transported to the Hollywood police station where officers are going to question him,” a spokesperson for the LAPD told the Wrap. It is unclear at this stage whether the driver of the car will face charges. Streets were reopened around 4pm local time.
Though the initial incident took place just steps away from the Dolby theatre, officer Nuria Vanegas told the Hollywood Reporter there was no apparent connection to Sunday’s upcoming Oscars. The annual awards ceremony has been staged at the Dolby (previously the Kodak theatre) since its opening in 2002.
