Update: Bomb squad removes suspicious object found in SUV, residents can return to area
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Update, 2:40 p.m.: The object found in an SUV abandoned during a traffic stop was safely removed, the Modesto Police Department said, and area residents are able to return to their homes.
Original story: Police have cordoned off an area in central Modesto as officers investigate a suspicious device found inside a Mercedes SUV abandoned during a traffic stop.
Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle around 10:30 a.m. and, after turning around to get behind the SUV, discovered the passenger door open and the vehicle abandoned near the 900 block of Westwood Avenue, Sgt. Felton Payne said.
The intersection is east of Sunrise Avenue between Briggsmore and Norwegian avenues.
The car’s registration had been expired for six months, so officers planned to tow it per protocol. As they did an inventory search, they found a suspicious device inside the vehicle.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s bomb squad was brought in to handle the object.
“We don’t know what it is, but it’s scary enough for us to call the bomb squad to use their expertise and figure out what it is,” Payne said.
Residents in the area were placed under and evacuation advisory. Some chose to leave while others sheltered in place.
The nature of the initial traffic stop was not immediately clear.
We will have more on this story later today.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 1:29 PM.
