Union Station evacuated after suspicious package found

A suspicious package left on a Metro platform prompted evacuations at downtown L.A.'s Union Station on Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Most rail operations in and out of the station were shut down after the package was reported at 2:27 p.m., a Metro alert read.

The Los Angeles County sheriff's bomb squad was called to the scene to examine the package and safely detonated it about an hour later, said Marc Littman, a Metro spokesman.

Buses are being used to run between Union Station and the 7th Street Metro Center Station, Littman said. Only Metro's Gold Line was running by 3:45 p.m., but Littman said they hoped to get an all-clear from sheriff's officials to open the station as quickly as possible.

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— Kate Mather and Richard Winton