Six houses at Vandenberg Air Force Base were evacuated Tuesday, December 30, while officials investigated suspicious packages brought to the base by a man who wouldn’t say what they contained.
The man’s vehicle was stopped at the base’s main gate at 5:15 p.m. because of “suspicious packages” he was transporting. The man refused to say what was in the packages when asked, so he was taken into custody while fire department, security forces, and personnel from the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit responded.
The main gate was closed until roughly 10:30 p.m., when the packages were cleared. Residents who had been evacuated were eventually let back in. A news release didn’t give the man’s name, or say whether he was arrested.
“The highly trained members of security forces, the fire department, and EOD showed their professionalism during this crisis,” said Lt. Col. Joe Milner, the 30th Security Forces Squadron commander, in a statement. “They ensured that the public’s safety was our highest priority throughout the evening.”