Residence hall bomb threat quelled

The Champaign-area bomb squad, a partnership between the University and the Champaign police, operates outside of Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Halls around midnight Friday morning. Wesley Fane

The Champaign-area bomb squad, a partnership between the University and the Champaign police, operates outside of Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Halls around midnight Friday morning. Wesley Fane

By Katie O'Connell

A bomb threat at Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Hall, 906 W. College Court, has been disseminated.

Sgt. Matt Myrick with the University Police Department said that he responded to a call made at approximately 10:45 p.m. that there was a suspicious piece of luggage outside of the main entrance to the residence hall.

The initial responding officer, a member of the bomb squad that exists as a partnership between the University Police Department and the Champaign police department, decided to “err on the side of caution” when dealing with the suspicious piece of luggage.

“In order to be safe they called the squad out,” Myrick said.

The corner rooms near the main entrance and the main lobby were evacuated. Extra police officers and resident advisors then kept students away from the area while the piece of luggage was disrupted. The contents are unknown.

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Mass Transit District routes that operate between PAR and the Florida Avenue Residence Hall, 1001 W. College Court, had been temporarily rerouted to avoid the situation.

Wesley Fane contributed to this report.