'Suspicious package' downtown investigated by bomb squad, deemed benign

A laptop and a suitcase were no match for an 800-pound bomb-detecting robot in downtown Durham this afternoon.

A suspicious object in a planter by the NC Mutual Life Building on West Chapel Hill Street in Durham was investigated by a bomb squad and robot, who discovered it to actually be a suitcase containing clothes and laptop.

The investigation closed off part of West Chapel Hill Street and a section of Duke Street Monday afternoon to allow for a remotely operated robot to safely approach the planter, according to the Durham Sheriff's official Twitter account. A member of the bomb squad then approached the "suspicious package," which was near the police headquarters. People inside the NC Mutual Life building were evacuated and moved to a nearby building.

Luckily, the scare was over when the team found no explosives in the package that turned out to be a benign suitcase. An all-clear was issued at approximately 4:15 p.m. and the streets were subsequently reopened.

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