Roundup: Bomb squad called to Oxnard post office, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Bomb squad called to Oxnard post office
OXNARD – A backpack-toting man's threats brought a bomb squad to an Oxnard post office after a short barricade Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The incident unfolded shortly before 1 p.m. at the U.S. Postal Service building at 1961 N. C St., said Oxnard Police Department Cmdr. Luis McArthur. The building is located on the north side of Gonzales Road.
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A man with a backpack had reportedly walked into the large post office, where some employees and customers were present, and made cracks about a bomb in his backpack that was set to go off, McArthur said.
Police officers evacuated workers and customers, McArthur said, and a brief barricade situation ensued before the man was taken into custody.
The Ventura County Sheriff's bomb squad was called in to assist and make sure the backpack posed no danger the public, he said.
Bomb squad personnel found no trace of a threat in the backpack and deemed the area safe at around 2:20 p.m., allowing employees and customers to return inside.
The man, a 51-year-old Oxnard resident, was arrested, McArthur said. The police department is working with U.S. Postal Service investigators on the case, he said, with federal charges likely.
Helipad remodel aids hospital flights
THOUSAND OAKS — A remodel of the helipad atop Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks allowed the first landing of one of the county's new Firehawk helicopters on Friday.
The Ventura County Aviation Unit — a joint operation of the county fire and sheriff's departments — added two Firehawks to its fleet last spring. The former Sikorsky Black Hawk military helicopters, previously used by the Army National Guard, were overhauled and outfitted with equipment that greatly expanded Ventura County's aerial firefighting capabilities.
While wildfire deployment was the air unit's initial training focus when Copters 4 and 5 were unveiled in May, crews soon focused on the helicopters' other duties, including search-and-rescue and law enforcement tasks.
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office on Friday tweeted photos of Copter 4's initial landing on the hospital's red-and-white helipad. The Thousand Oaks facility houses the east county's only Level II trauma center, where critically injured patients are sometimes flown for emergency treatment.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Bomb squad called to Oxnard post office, more news
