Two schools in Baltimore County were evacuated this morning after a suspicious package was found in a vehicle parked near the schools and an explosive device proactively detonated by the police bomb squad, WBFF-TV (FOX affiliate) reports.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with Baltimore County police, we decided to evacuate students from Pine Grove Middle [School in Parkville]. We sent them first to Pine Grove Elementary School and now they are being taken to Parkville High School, where parents can go pick up their students,” Baltimore County Public Schools spokesman Charles Herndon was quoted as saying by WBAL-TV (NBC affiliate). Some elementary students were also taken to Loch Raven High School.
Update from Baltimore County Spokesman Charles Herndon pic.twitter.com/CQbh7kdJ5Q
— TIM TOOTEN SR (@tvtooten) September 20, 2022
The police investigation turned quickly to a strip mall near Woodlawn High School in Gwynn Oak, about 20 miles away from Pine Grove as the crow flies, where a person of interest was taken into custody. Police used robots to search a hotel near the scene for other explosive devices.
Bus service to about two dozen schools in the district was disrupted, according to WBAL-TV, and no injuries were reported.
“Our hazardous device team, actually what they did was they did a controlled situation in efforts to investigate the device that was found,” Corbin said.
Police tweeted at 1:41 p.m. about a loud noise people near Pine Grove may have heard, saying: “You may have heard a loud noise in the area of Pine Grove MS. This was a proactive controlled measure taken by the [Baltimore County police] to address the suspicious package.”
