Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Leavey Bomb Scare Remains Under Investigation

The Georgetown University Police Department and Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of a bomb threat in the Leavey Center Bookstore, late afternoon on March 8.

At 4:30 p.m., a Leavey bookstore supervisor received an anonymous phone call threatening to set off a bomb in the bookstore.

“They said that there was a package there, that it was a bomb, and that it was about to blow up,” Deputy Chief of GUPD Joseph Smith said.

GUPD officers arrived at the scene at 4:39 p.m. and began the evacuation of Leavey Center, including the hotel. MPD arrived at the scene at 4:51 p.m., and the MPD Bomb Squad arrived shortly thereafter at 5:35 p.m. to conduct a K9 search of the building. The building was declared all clear at 6:08 p.m.

“There was no package located. The Bomb Squad and the K9s swept the bookstore and Leavey Center and there was nothing of any suspicion located,” Smith said.

“Officers responded to 3800 Reservoir Rd., NW for the report of a bomb threat. A search of the area revealed negative results for any suspicious objects. The location was deemed clear and reopened,” Officer Paul Metcalf of MPD’s Office of Communications wrote in a statement to the Hoya.

GUPD intends to conduct a follow-up investigation and to continue to pursue leads from the initial investigation.

“We’ll look at the totality of the circumstances, the time and date of the call, the location, and we’ll speak to staff and so forth and try to collect information,” Smith said.

The last case of a bomb threat at Georgetown was during 2012 commencement weekend when a neighbor reported a suspicious object on the periphery of campus, which turned out to be inert.

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