PORTLAND — A suspicious backpack found outside 785 Washington Avenue early Monday morning led to a four-hour traffic disruption while the Portland Police Department’s Hazardous Device Unit (HDU) and the Maine State Police Bomb Squad investigated the potential threat.
The incident began when the Portland Police Department was alerted to the backpack at 7:38 a.m. The HDU promptly arrived at the scene, backed by the State Police Bomb Squad, to assess the situation.
An X-ray conducted by the team raised concerns about the safety of handling the backpack, prompting the deployment of a robot to ‘disrupt’ it.
Following the robotic intervention, a technician donned in a bomb suit inspected the backpack’s contents, ultimately determining that it did not pose a threat.
During the operation, traffic was redirected around the busy intersection of Washington and Ocean avenues, causing significant delays for morning commuters.
Authorities reopened the road around 11:45 a.m. after ensuring the area was safe.
No injuries were reported, and the Portland Police Department has not disclosed the backpack’s contents or the reason it was initially deemed suspicious.
