Nov. 30--A suspicious item found Sunday afternoon near the starting point of the Hollywood Christmas Parade turned out to be a purse stuffed into a mailbox, authorities said.
A bystander reported the "suspicious item" about 1:30 p.m. near Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive, said Officer Rosario Herrera of the Los Angeles Police Department.
No threats were called in or reported in connection with the item, she added.
By 4:45 p.m., the bomb squad confirmed that there were no explosives at the scene, LAPD Sgt. Chuck Slater said. The "suspicious item" was only a purse stuffed into a mailbox, he said.
The intersection was the starting point of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, which moved eastbound on Hollywood Boulevard before turning south on Vine Street, then returning west along Sunset Boulevard.
The parade began at 5 p.m. as scheduled without delays and was nationally televised on the CW.
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