Crime & Safety

Sheriff's Bomb Squad Investigates Suspicious Package Delivered to Cerritos Real Estate Office

An LASD bomb squad ultimately determined that the suspicious white box contained a distilling device and was not a threat.

A Cerritos real estate office was evacuated for more than an hour today after a suspicious package was mailed to the business, but a sheriff's bomb squad later determined it did not contain an explosive device or threat. 

Cerritos sheriff's deputies were called to located at 12881 166th Street about 11:20 a.m. after an employee at the business opened up a delivery containing "glass jars and coiled copper wire," Lt. Richard Harpham of the Cerritos Sheriff's Station said.

Harpham said the man took the suspicious looking box outside and immediately called the sheriff's department. 

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Arriving deputies evacuated the business, shut down a portion of 166th Street and summoned sheriff's Arson Explosives detail to take over the investigation.

"We don’t take any chances in these kinds of cases," the lieutenant said.

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After isolating the box, bomb squad investigators determined that it contained "a distilling device" and it was not a threat, Harpham said.

"It looks suspicious to the untrained eye and they (the employees) just didn't know what it was because they were not expecting a delivery," Harpham said, adding that the package was sent to the business by U.S. mail.

Deputies reopened 166th Street about 1:45 p.m.


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