September 20, 2004

Bomb threat disrupts Purdue West shopping center

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Police Department restricted access to the Purdue West shopping center for more than an hour this morning (Sept. 20) after one of the center's stores received a bomb threat.

Deputy Chief Steven R. Dietrich said an employee at Big 10 Tan received the call shortly after 10:30 a.m. Dietrich said the caller told the employee that there was a bomb hidden somewhere in the shopping center.

Police recommended the shopping center's businesses voluntarily evacuate, and many merchants followed the recommendation. Police then closed off access to Purdue West. McCutcheon Street near the center, between State and Third streets, was also closed.

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department Bomb Detection Unit searched all the buildings in the center and did not find a bomb. The shopping center was reopened shortly before noon.

Purdue West is owned by the Purdue Research Foundation, and merchants lease the space.

Anyone with information related to the bomb threat is asked to contact police at (765) 494-8221.

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

Sources: Steven R. Dietrich, (765) 494-8221, srdietrich@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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