Police have evacuated buildings in an area of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after a vehicle containing 1,000 gallons of gasoline was discovered.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was on the scene as well as police and the bomb squad. A call was received around 11 a.m. Monday about a suspicious vehicle that smelled of leaking gas. After police arrived they set up a perimeter, evacuating a four-block radius, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Police investigating possible suspicious vehicle in downtown Baltimore parking garage; Major delays and street closures @wjz pic.twitter.com/dWSO0ItGe4
— Rachel Menitoff (@RachelMenitoff) September 9, 2019
About 80 minutes after the initial evacuation zone was set, authorities expanded it to include a nearby shopping mall and two hotels. The police also blocked off traffic from a number of roads and are encouraging motorists to avoid the area.
All vehicular & pedestrian traffic is being diverted around the 100 block of E Pratt St downtown due to @BaltimorePolice & @BaltimoreFire activity. #BalTraffic pic.twitter.com/vPr61i5SYe
— Baltimore OEM (@BaltimoreOEM) September 9, 2019
