Briefcase Exploded as Precaution Held Script by Aspiring Writer

Updated 1:25 p.m.:

A briefcase left at an office in a building on the 400 block of North Camden Drive on Thursday morning belonged to an aspiring screenwriter attempting to distribute a script.

At 9:14 a.m. the responded to a "suspicious circumstances" call made by a person who saw the unattended property, which a security guard had removed from the building and left in an alley. The BHPD responded to the call by evacuating buildings and blocking off streets in the area.

The briefcase was destroyed by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department bomb squad as a precaution. It contained assorted papers and a laptop computer, said BHPD Lt. Tony Lee.

"An individual left his briefcase there hoping that somebody was going to read his script," Lee said.

Police interviewed the owner of the briefcase, who was not arrested. His name has not been released.

Posted at 11:30 a.m.:

The Beverly Hills Police Department called in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad to destroy a suspicious package left in an office building near the golden triangle shopping district Thursday morning. 

The call came in to police around 9 a.m. and buildings in the area were evacuated and taped off, said BHPD Lt. Sammy Lee. The area bounded by South Santa Monica Boulevard and Brighton Way between North Camden and North Rodeo drives was secured by officers and firefighters. Pedestrians were cleared from the streets.

The bomb squad to blow up the briefcase in an alley near around 11 a.m. as a precautionary measure.

To see a video of the bomb squad robot at the scene, .

"Fire in the hole!" said officers before a loud explosion was heard within blocks of the area.

As the sheriff's department handled the briefcase, BHPD officers conducted an investigation into the person who may have left the briefcase unattended, Lee said.

"There are circumstances that make it a little bit suspicious," he said. "Right now obviously we're doing it on the safer side to evacuate this area."

Traffic was diverted away from the scene. Police have now opened the area to vehicles and pedestrians.

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