Bomb scare at Manhattan Village mall, nearby residences, is called off; source was ‘suspicious luggage’ left at Chili’s
The Manhattan Village mall. File photo
The alert at the Manhattan Village mall and nearby residential community issued by Manhattan Beach Police Department Friday afternoon advising evacuation has been called off. The source of the alert, issued via the Nixle messaging system by MBPD, was suspicious luggage left behind at Chili’s Grill and Bar in the mall complex.
According to MBPD Sgt. Tim Zins, police received a call from Chili’s at about 12:40 p.m. A couple who’d dined at the restaurant and stayed at a table long after finishing lunch left the restaurant — and left the luggage behind. An employee ran after them and twice asked them to take the luggage, according to police reports.
“They refused and walked off,” Zins said.
MBPD considered the circumstances suspicious enough to warrant evacuation of both parts of the the residents of 20-62 Village Circle and 7-26 Westport in the Manhattan Village, the closest residences to the restaurant. They also called the Redondo Beach Police Department K-9 unit for assistance, as well as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad.
Patrol officers located the couple, who it turned out were freshly arrived from Indiana, had just come from LAX, and were waiting for a friend to come pick them up. The friend was very late, and they decided to go for a walk, without their luggage.
“RBPD bomb dogs checked out Chilis and the luggage, and the luggage turned out to be nothing,” Zins said. “Apparently it’s okay to leave behind your luggage in a restaurant in Indiana, even when an employee told you to take it with you.”
Zins said no charges were filed.
“It was just a mistake on their part,” he said. “It wasn’t intentional. You know, anywhere — you can’t do that. It’s common sense in the day and age we live in, you just don’t do that.”