This morning, around 9:25 a.m., a woman left a large duffel bag in the lobby of Asheville Police Department’s downtown headquarters and left.
“It was suspicious, since there was nothing said to any of our staff,” Deputy Chief Wade Wood says. “It raised some concerns, so we wanted to err on the side of caution and make sure there was nothing detrimental or damaging in it.”
Officers examined the package, and had its bomb squad check it out. They removed the bag outside the building, shut down surrounding streets, and hit it with a water blast “to disrupt it” around 10 a.m. That drew public attention, with people reporting the noise of the water blast on social media.
Wood says the APD is currently trying to find the woman who dropped off the package.
“We have some information we’re following up on,” he says. “Based on how it went down, I don’t think it was meant as a threat, that’s just how it went down.” But officers want to find out what the woman’s purpose was.
“The point is — if you drop something off, especially at the police department, talk to someone before you turn around and walk out,” he adds.
“In this day and age you have to be cautious.”
