Deukmejian Courthouse evacuated after man tries to enter with 'suspicious device'

[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Screen-Shot-2015-12-04-at-10.37.13-AM.png” credit=”Cory Bilicko/Signal Tribune ” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Police block off a portion of Magnolia Avenue in downtown Long Beach Thursday afternoon after an individual with a suspicious package was detained while trying to enter the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, from which people were evacuated around 1:15pm.” captionposition=”right”] Staff and members of the public were evacuated from the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in downtown Long Beach early in the afternoon on Thursday, Dec. 3 after an individual was detained with a suspicious package, according to police.
At around noon, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers were dispatched to the courthouse, located at 275 Magnolia Ave., to assist deputies that were detaining a male suspect who had tried to enter the building with several items, including a “suspicious device,” according to LBPD spokeswoman Cynthia Arrona.
As a precaution, the first floor and the north side of the building were evacuated, Arrona said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad and hazardous-materials team were called in to survey the building but found no explosive items. Courthouse employees and members of the public were readmitted around 2:10pm.
The suspect, Deshawn Jerry Williams, a 32-year-old Long Beach resident, was booked for a probation violation. He is currently being held in the Long Beach City Jail with no bail.
During the evacuation, through traffic on Magnolia Avenue between Third Street and Broadway was closed off.
The investigation remains ongoing.