A suspicious bag near the ASU Visitor Information Center caused traffic slowing near the intersection of Rural Road and Apache Boulevard for more than three hours Friday, while local bomb squads determined the parcel was harmless.
ASU Department of Public Safety reported that five people were evacuated from the visitor center around noon. No one was hurt.
Tempe police received a call from a city bus driver at approximately 10 a.m., reporting an unattended, basic black backpack.
Dan Masters, public information officer for the Tempe Police Department, said 17 officers, including traffic officers and park rangers, were dispatched to the scene shortly thereafter.
Police closed a portion of Apache Boulevard west of Rural Road during the scare, causing the slowed traffic and detours at the intersection.
The bag was left on a bench at a Tempe bus stop on the northwest corner of Rural Road and Apache Boulevard.
Officer John Morel said there was no direct bomb threat, but police treated it as a potentially dangerous situation because of its proximity to the Visitor Information Center and because of classes starting on Monday.
Police used a remote-control robotic arm to seize the bag. Sgt. Bob Gage said they were able to determine through X-rays and other tests that the backpack contained only "personal belongings."
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
