A suspicious bag left leaning against a California Highway Patrol vehicle in Prunedale Monday—which prompted a response from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad and the brief detainment of the man who left it—turned out to be nothing more than a lost computer bag.
According to Monterey County Sheriff’s spokesman Andres Rosas, the bag was found leaning against the vehicle parked at a business on the 17000-Block of Vierra Canyon Road in Prunedale at about 7:45am.
The CHP officers checked and found an item appearing to be similar to a large black soft-sided computer bag.
The CHP officers reviewed surveillance footage that showed a subject walking up and placing the bag next to their patrol vehicle.
“At about 8:15am, out of an abundance of caution, CHP requested the assistance of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad to attempt to identify the contents of the bag,” Rosas stated in a press release.
A short time later, a subject matching the description of the person seen in the surveillance footage was located in a nearby shopping center on San Miguel Canyon Road and detained.
Police established a perimeter, and Vierra Canyon Road was closed between Highway 101 and the Prune Tree Shopping Center to ensure public safety, and patrons and other people in the immediate area were notified of the suspicious item, Rosas said.
At about 11:15am the bomb squad confirmed that the bag contained a DVD player. Roadways were reopened after it was determined there was no threat to the public.
The subject was released after it was discovered that he had found the bag containing the DVD player and was merely trying to turn it in as found property.
Any lost or misplaced items can be reported by calling local law enforcement or making face-to-face contact with officers or deputies directly, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office stated. Anyone who sees a suspicious package or circumstances should call 911.
