Long Beach police, fire departments evacuated after woman brings in mortar shells
Long Beach police evacuated the city’s police and fire department headquarters at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after a woman brought two mortar shells in to the police department.
Police said the widow of a Korean War veteran asked police to dispose of two mortar shells belonging to her late husband. It was not clear whether the shells were live.
Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney evacuated the police and fire departments for more than an hour as a precaution, but said the rest of City Hall did not need to be evacuated.
The mortar shells were turned over to the Nassau County Arson and Bomb squad, who rendered the mortar shells safe and inactive before they were destroyed and disposed, police said.
Police said anyone who discovers a suspicious package or device should not move the items and should instead call 911.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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