A memorial at Hollywood Transit Center following a double murder nearby on May 26. Police have evacuated the area today because of a suspicious device.
A memorial at Hollywood Transit Center following a double murder nearby on May 26. Police have evacuated the area today because of a "suspicious device." Doug Brown


Update, 3:20 pm: Police are taking steps to reopen all roads and the Hollywood Transit Center, after determining the device poses no threat.

Original post:

A "suspicious device" at the Hollywood Transit Center has prompted police to swarm the area, evacuating citizens, halting MAX travel, and closing nearby roads. While details are scant—including the nature of the device—cops have shut down westbound I-84 and Northeast Halsey, and brought in a robot and K9 unit, according to witnesses.

The incident comes two weeks after an attack on a MAX train claimed the lives of two men. Those murders played out near the Hollywood Transit Center, and transformed the station into a memorial for the victims.

KOIN is reporting the object is a backpack found on a MAX train. No word on what's suspicious about it (at least one person on Twitter has suggested there might be wires sticking out of it, but that is not confirmed).

The incident marks another in a brutal string of Friday afternoons on or near the MAX. On May 19, a woman was stabbed multiple times near the Lloyd Center MAX station, as a train full of people watched. On May 26, police say white supremacist Jeremy Christian fatally stabbed two men and wounded a third, when they tried to stop Christian from shouting at two Black teens. Last week, a man assaulted a MAX operator while shouting about "free speech." Now this.










According to video from one witness on the scene, a dog brought in to inspect the area is looking into more than just one backpack on a train.




Update, 2:52 pm: Witnesses on scene report a loud explosion as robots were inspecting the device. Police say that was a controlled explosion that the Metropolitan Explosive Device Unit set off.

Sgt. Chris Burley, in a news conference, told reporters that the explosion had allowed police to "decrease the size of the perimeter." Police have cleared local businesses to re-open, and have also opened westbound I-84. The Hollywood Transit Center remains closed, but should open shortly.

Burley confirms that a MAX passenger reported a specific backpack, and made the operator aware.


We'll update when we know more.