La Cañada Trader Joe’s evacuated after bomb scare; device deemed a fake

The La Cañada Trader Joe’s was evacuated Friday afternoon after deputies were called to investigate a suspicious package, later determined to have been a “hoax device,” a sheriff’s lieutenant said.

A store manager reported that another Trader Joe’s employee found a black box with green blinking lights sitting on top of a toilet paper dispenser in a public restroom. When a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy called to the scene inspected the box, he saw several ball bearings encased in hard resin and decided it was suspicious enough to call in a bomb squad.

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At about 3:20 p.m., county firefighters and a bomb squad from the sheriff’s arson/explosives unit converged on the grocery store at 475 Foothill Blvd.

The parking lot and adjacent businesses were also evacuated while the bomb squad inspected the device and deemed it a fake, said Lt. Douglas Mohrhoff of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station.

“It’s been handled and (it’s) over,” Mohrhoff said that evening, adding that the all clear was given at about 5:45 p.m.

A bomb-sniffing dog was brought in to check for additional devices, but no others were found.

The investigation is ongoing, Mohrhoff said.

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Ryan Fonseca, ryan.fonseca@latimes.com

Twitter: @RyFons