Backpack marked with 'Bang' prompted Union Station evacuations
A backpack on a Red Line with the word "Bang" written on it prompted a partial evacuation of Union Station that delayed trains at one of the region's busiest transportation hubs, authorities said Tuesday night.
The backpack did not contain any explosives, and about 7:15 p.m. authorities were preparing to reopen portions of the station that had been shut down, the Sheriff's Department said.
The backpack was initially spotted by a security guard on the Red Line train, said Lt. Vince Carter.
"It had the name 'Bang' on it," Carter told The Times. "That made deputies suspicious."
The owner of the backpack was nicknamed "Bang Bang," Carter said.
Deputies evacuated people from the east and west entrances of the downtown Los Angeles station while bomb squad investigators examined the backpack.
The incident caused delays on the Red and Purple lines between Union Station and the Civic Center Station just as the evening rush-hour commute was gearing up.
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— Robert J. Lopez
Photo: Darryl Chevalier, left, and Rob Gracia of the Sheriff's Department stand at the evacuated east entrance of Union Station. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times
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