Toledo – Envelope Explodes At Downtown Police Department
July 16, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
A package delivered to the Toledo Police Department downtown early Thursday afternoon exploded on the fourth floor. Two officers were treated at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center and decontaminated.
Initially the officers that opened the package believed there was a white powdery substance inside. It was hissing before it exploded shortly after 1 p.m.
At least two officers, a lieutenant and a detective, were affected when the package was opened. They were both transported to St. Vincent’s emergency room as a precaution. Both officers were decontaminated and treated by physicians, at St. V’s.
“When the officer opened the box there was a hissing noise that would suggest some type of gas escape when he opened the box,” said Thomas Jaksetic, Toledo Fire Battalion Chief and Homeland Security spokesman.
FOX Toledo’s Michelle Zepeda was inside the downtown police Safety Building while it was being cordoned off. A source within the police department told Zepeda the package possibly had narcotics inside it.
The entire fourth floor was closed off for about three hours and the elevators were shut down as a precaution. St. Vincent’s ER was also locked down for about three hours as well.
