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Charlotte Police Headquarters Reopens After 'Suspicious Package' Causes Bomb Scare

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's headquarters were evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a 'suspicious package' was found.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Headquarters was evacuated Sept. 27, after a suspicious package was discovered inside the building.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Headquarters was evacuated Sept. 27, after a suspicious package was discovered inside the building.WCNC

A "suspicious package" that forced the evacuation of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's headquarters Tuesday afternoon was safely removed after about four hours, officials said.

A robot was used to bring out the device, police tweeted, and it was being evaluated at a "remote location." The building was subsequently reopened.

Officials told reporters Friday night that an employee spotted the package inside the building but that no threatening phone call had been received.

The Charlotte Fire Department was called to the scene in the city's uptown neighborhood around 4:30 p.m. ET, a spokesperson told NBC News. The package was described as the size of a shoe box.

"Out of abundance of caution, we've evacuated the building ... determine if anything nefarious with that package or anything suspicious," CMPD spokesman Rob Trufano earlier told reporters. "Once we get some resolution, we'll get people back in the building."

The threat came amid protests and after a string of nights of civil unrest following the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old African-American man, by police one week ago.

Authorities shut down the streets around the headquarters, while a nearby streetcar line was also suspended.

Officials had to reroute 911 calls from inside the building.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Headquarters was evacuated Sept. 27, after a suspicious package was discovered inside the building.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Headquarters was evacuated Sept. 27, after a suspicious package was discovered inside the building.WCNC