Downtown city streets reopened after suspicious package deemed not a threat

Multiple city streets downtown were reopened Friday after a three-hour closure prompted by a suspicious package discovered near the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Courthouse.

The incident was first reported around 5:15 p.m. near Broadway and Front Street, according to San Diego police Officer Anthony Carrasco.

Officers who arrived at the scene quickly called the Metro Arson Strike Team, or MAST, to help with the investigation, Carrasco said. The team consists of San Diego police officers and firefighters who specialize in, among other things, investigating suspicious packages and possible explosive devices.

Carrasco said MAST investigators used remotely controlled robots to check the package and determine if there was a threat.

Around 7:40 p.m., detectives determined the package was not an explosive or harmful device and began to clear the scene. The street closures on Broadway, Union Street and Front Street were lifted around 8 p.m.