APD gives ‘all clear’ after reported bomb threat in western Travis County

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department gave the “all clear” after a bomb threat was reported in western Travis County Tuesday afternoon.

APD responded to the scene near the 4800 block of Republic of Texas Boulevard. That road is near the Travis Country neighborhood close to Southwest Parkway and Mission Oaks Boulevard.

A man notified a delivery driver that he found what “appeared to be a bomb in the area.” Then, the delivery driver then called 911 and police responded to the scene, APD Cpl. Jose Mendez said during a media briefing.

Around 12:50 p.m., officers made contact with the man who then again said he found a “possible explosive device.” Then, the APD bomb team was notified and responded to the scene.

APD, AFD, EMS helped to contain the area of concern. A reverse 911 call was made to local residents, Mendez said.

Around 3:45 p.m., the APD bomb team determined the device in question was not an explosive device, and an “all clear” was given. The man who reported the device was detained and being questioned by police. It was not immediately clear if he was involved in the incident, Mendez said.

While Mendez acknowledged the area is close to one of the Austin bombing locations from 2018, he said he was not aware if the man knew any of that information.

The device was described as a rectangular object that was about 7 to 9 inches long with two batteries attached. The device was seized, along with two bags. One was in the road, and the other was in a wooded area nearby. Mendez said the device was put back in one of the bags before they were seized by police.

Mendez said any bomb threat call that is reported is taken seriously. No one was arrested or charged at this time. No other details were provided by police Tuesday.

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