MIAMI (WSVN) - A suitcase left at a park behind Bayside Market place in downtown Miami led to the evacuation of thousands of revelers near the outdoor mall and interrupted the Fourth of July fireworks show at Bayfront Park.
City of Miami Police were called to the scene, just before 9 p.m., Thursday, and later determined the suspicious item was safe.
Police evacuated the service road behind the outdoor mall, where revelers were expecting to see a 15-minute holiday fireworks display at nearby Bayfront Park, but they did not evacuate the shopping center.
Police said they had to evacuate a section of Bayfront Park to conduct their investigation, but the shopping center remained open for business.
UPDATE: The suspicious package was a suitcase & it has been deemed safe. A section of Bayfront Park was evacuated in order to further conduct our investigation. Bayside Marketplace continues to remain open. Biscayne Blvd is open in open in both directions. https://t.co/s6CPtWtVH5
— Miami PD (@MiamiPD) July 5, 2019
Cellphone video from a nearby rooftop showed police moving attendees from the shopping center. The video also showed at least a dozen police cruisers with their lights on near Bayfront Park.
7News cameras captured police cruisers near the Hard Rock Cafe, at the rear of the property. Cameras also captured officers with K-9s walking around and investigating near the scene.
Several ambulances were spotted at the front of the property.
Bayside Marketplace is open for business! We have no issues here and the party goes on! This news is for Bayfront Park
— Bayside Marketplace (@BaysideMktplace) July 5, 2019
Three police cruisers and a helicopter were also caught on video responding to the scene. Aerial video posted to social media showed squad cars racing down Biscayne Boulevard.
Police said the bomb squad was called in to investigate the package. They did not evacuate the area except for where the package was seen.
Biscayne Boulevard, which was shut down for the Fourth of July fireworks show, remained closed while police investigated.
Dump trucks were used to block the road, and officers were positioned on rooftops.
Officers determined the suitcase was not a threat and gave the all clear just before 11 p.m. They reopened the roadways shortly after.
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