Suspicious packages force Brightleaf evacuation

After a report of two suspicious packages at the Duke University Press office in Brightleaf Square Monday morning, Durham Police Department officials declared the situation to be “all-clear” later in the afternoon.

Employees were allowed to return around 12:15 p.m., about two hours after the press office notified police of the packages at about 10 a.m. The alert prompted police to evacuate all facilities, vendors and offices in Brightleaf, said Kyle Cavanaugh, the University’s emergency coordinator and vice president for human resources. In addition to all vendors in the area, at least 120 Duke employees were evacuated due to the incident, Cavanaugh said.

The DPD Public Information office could not be reached for comment Monday. DPD officers worked in conjunction with the Duke University Police Department to address the scare, DUPD Chief John Dailey said. Police officers instructed people inside every Brightleaf establishment to evacuate the area, Dailey added.

“The evacuation was orderly and staggered [by each Brightleaf facility],” he said.

After all individuals in Brightleaf Square were evacuated, which started at 10:20 a.m., authorities determined the packages needed “further scrutiny.” Law enforcement officials called the Durham County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad, which arrived at 10:45 a.m., Dailey said. He declined to provide specific details about the nature of the packages, but he said the Duke University Press staff reacted appropriately to the situation.

Stephen Cohn, director of the Duke University Press, referred all questions to Cavanaugh.

Salvador Sanchez, an employee at Torero’s Mexican Restaurant in Brightleaf, said the restaurant was evacuated at 11:30 a.m., adding that the process was relatively calm.