Hazmat team responds to Los Angeles courthouse over suspicious letters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A hazardous materials team was sent to a Los Angeles courthouse on Thursday over suspicious letters mailed to court personnel, but no evacuation was ordered and business continued without interruption, officials said. The hazardous materials team from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident at the downtown courthouse, the department said in a statement. No evacuation was ordered at the courthouse and business continued without interruption, according to a Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman. Suspicious envelopes with a non-toxic white substance have also been sent recently to locations in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles and the city of Burbank, and the FBI is leading several agencies in investigating the incident, said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Jeffrey Dohlen. Dohlen could not say whether those locations that received the letters were courthouses. Representatives from the FBI could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Beech)