Bomb scare closes part of downtown Santa Fe
Jul. 13—An item resembling an explosive device discovered near a generator behind Hotel Chimayo brought parts of downtown Santa Fe to an hourslong halt Thursday afternoon and prompted evacuation of a state government office while police investigated what they later determined was a possible hoax.
One woman bemoaned the fact she had parked her car within a section of Washington Avenue that was shut down during the Santa Fe police response to the incident because, she said, she would miss a doctor's appointment in Española.
Another woman, who said she worked at the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, lamented that her shift was delayed.
Spectators huddled behind yellow tape at The Burrito Co. on Washington Avenue and watched the Santa Fe Police Department's Explosive Ordnance Device Team deploy two robots to investigate the device. A couple of hours later, an officer at the intersection of Washington and Nusbaum Street near Hotel Chimayo prepared to don on a heavy bomb suit.
Deputy Chief Matthew Champlin said someone had seen the device and called 911 dispatchers, and officers began shutting down streets around 1 p.m. They were reopened around 4 p.m.
Police closed Washington Avenue from the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi to Marcy Street, using patrol vehicles to block traffic at the intersections of Palace and Washington avenues and at Palace and Cathedral Place. A city alert said Palace Avenue also was closed to Otero Street.
Officers walked down Washington, warning pedestrians off the street.
An alert issued from the New Mexico court system said a Marcy Street building housing workers in the state Administrative Office of the Courts was being evacuated. The site, 202 E. Marcy St., is the former home of The Santa Fe New Mexican.
Police declined to provide a detailed description of the suspicious item but called it an "inert non-explosive device" in a news release issued later Thursday afternoon.
Champlin said the commander of the Explosive Ordnance Device Team was not willing to release further details "just yet."
"I'm sure that will be forthcoming, but it's too early in the investigation ... the main reason being is if he finds a suspect or a potential suspect and he wants to interview that person, he doesn't want to be able to have that device's description in the media, so that it's a description that only the suspect would know," Champlin said.
The news release said the appearance and construction of the device led investigators "to believe it may have been an intentional hoax; the device closely resembled an improvised explosive device. The device was collected as evidence and will be further evaluated to determine its origins and to investigate if the device was intentionally meant to be used in a bomb scare which is a criminal offense under New Mexico State Statute."
A smattering of police officers and vehicles remained on Washington Avenue after the initial investigation wrapped up.
Champlin said he didn't know whether there were surveillance cameras in the area that might have captured the person who left the item next to the generator.
"It's not very often that there's an intentional or purposeful reason that somebody ... is trying to stage something to scare people, and this may be one of those instances. We're not sure yet, but it's definitely a possibility," the deputy chief said.
