UPDATE 11:34 a.m.: Streets are open again, says Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat; no threat detected
by Robin Kemp
Streets around the Fulton County Courthouse and near the Georgia Capitol are closed Monday morning as police investigate a “suspicious package” in a nearby parking garage.
Georgia 511 noted that police had shut down Martin Luther King, Jr, Drive in both directions at Pryor Street and that all lanes were closed at least until 12 noon.
CBS46’s Rebekka Schramm tweeted that a robot has moved in on a suitcase:
#Breaking news update: Looks like the bomb scare in downtown Atlanta is about to be over. Officers are gathering around the suspicious package now, moments after a bomb tech reached into it and the police robot pulled away. @cbs46 pic.twitter.com/h7W0U2ldlh
— Rebekka Schramm (@SchrammCBS46) February 7, 2022
Streets around the Fulton County Courthouse are currently blocked in #Atlanta due to a suspicious package reported. Streets closed include MLK Jr Dr, Pryor St, Mitchell St and Central Ave. Avoid area if possible and just use I-75/85 or I-20 as alternates. @wsbtv #ATLTraffic pic.twitter.com/VcEqHHzW5v
— Mike Shields WSB (@MikeShieldsWSB) February 7, 2022
A triffic camera at the intersection of Mitchell and Washington streets showed the Route 55 bus from Forest Park caught in a massive traffic backup just before 9 a.m.
Police had not said as of press time whether or not the suitcase contained explosives.
Numerous homeless people are served at a nearby church.
Recently, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had requested Federal Bureau of Investigation protection in the wake of numerous racial threats. Willis is moving towards a special grand jury investigation May 2 of former President Donald Trump over his pressuring Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to win reelection.
This incident follows several bomb threats last week called into historically Black colleges and universities around the state and country, including Spelman College in downtown Atlanta and Albany State. The FBI says it has identified six juveniles as possible suspects.
