Crime & Safety

Suspicious Package That Closed Part of Berkeley Was Coffee

A suspicious package that arrived in the mail at a Berkeley restaurant and led to a large section of the downtown area being sealed off for nearly four hours Monday afternoon turned out to be just coffee, authorities said.

A large section of downtown Berkeley was sealed off by police for nearly four hours Monday afternoon while the bomb squad was summoned to investigate a suspicious package that turned out to be coffee, authorities said.

Police were notified just before noon of a suspicious package that arrived in the mail at La Note restaurant at 2377 Shattuck Ave., said Berkeley Police Lt. Andrew Rateaver. The business was not expecting the package, said Police Officer Jennifer Coats.

Police issued a shelter in place warning over a loudspeaker, and at about 12:05 p.m. sealed off two blocks of Shattuck between Bancroft and Channing, and a block and a half of Durant Avenue, Rateaver said.

The bomb squad was summoned to x-ray the package, he said. The Berkeley Fire Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service also rushed to the scene, which snarled afternoon traffic.

At the 3:55, the scene was cleared after the investigators determined that the package contained prepackaged coffee, said Troy Dickinson, a U.S. Postal Inspector.

Rateaver said the law enforcement response was standard for such situations.

"It's an inconvenience for a lot of people, but it's better to be safe than sorry in instances like this," he said.

Another suspicious object rattles UC Berkeley campus

Nearly three hours after the package was reported at La Note, UC Berkeley police summoned their bomb squad to respond to a suspicious object reported next to campus in front of Whelan's Smoke Shop on Bancroft. The area was closed to traffic and advisories to evacuate or shelter in place were issued for Sproul Hall and the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, according to campus police.

The object turned out to be a harmless suitcase, police said. For more details see 2nd Suspicious Package in Berkeley Today Rattles Cal Campus, No Danger.

Published Oct. 28, 2013, 4:28 p.m.; updated Oct. 29, 1:23 a.m.
------------

Don't miss any news from Berkeley Patch. Get the day's headlines and events – plus any breaking news alerts – by subscribing to the Berkeley Patch email newsletter. Just click “Get the Patch Newsletter” at the bottom of the homepage.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.