Manhattan Beach Studio evacuated all day after false-alarm bomb threat
The Manhattan Beach Fire Department deployed a team of firefighters in response to a bomb threat Tuesday at the Manhattan Beach Studios.
Police determined late Tuesday afternoon that the bomb threat at Manhattan Beach Studio’s Media Campus was a hoax, ending an all-day evacuation and an extensive police response to the scare.
Officers from Inglewood and LAX assist the Manhattan Beach Police Department Tuesday outside the Manhattan Beach Studios. Photos
Just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, a phone call came into the Manhattan Beach Police Department threatening to bomb the media campus on the 1600 block of Rosecrans Avenue, according to police. Sixty to 100 employees and staff members were immediately evacuated as police closed off streets and established a perimeter.
MBS Media Campus, a 25,000 sq. ft. all-in-one production facility formerly known as Raleigh Studios, was previously the home of Marvel Studios. Currently, director James Cameron is filming the sequels to “Avatar” at MBS.
An initial search of the building netted no unusual discoveries, police said. Later in the afternoon, six bomb dogs arrived from LA World Airport, Beverly Hills and Inglewood police departments. The investigation ended at 4:30 p.m. with no suspicious items found.
“Because it’s an active investigation, it wouldn’t be prudent to tell exactly how it came in or certainly what was said,” MBPD Community Affairs Officer Stephanie Martin said on site Tuesday. “But what I can say is a threat came in and we treat all threats…as a credible threat.”
The police investigation now continues “with a focus on identifying the person(s) responsible for the threat,” Martin said.