Streets were closed for more than an hour in Denver this morning while officers investigated a suspicious device.
The noise-emitting device taped to a tree just east of downtown Denver was removed by a Denver Police bomb squad technician about 8:50 a.m.
Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said Denver patrol officers responded to the scene in the 800 block of Park Avenue West, near the intersection of Stout Street, at about 7:45 a.m. after a passerby alerted police to the plastic device.
Patrol officers investigated and called for the Denver bomb squad, said Jackson.
The bomb squad sent in a camera-equipped robot, which deployed a long arm into the tree. The robot snagged a large brown cloth, brought it to the ground and then re-deployed its arm into the tree, allowing bomb squad members to look at the device from their van.
When they could not identify the device, a bomb squad technician suited up in heavy green suit.
The technician climbed a small ladder, untaped the device and walked it back to the van.
Jackson said that the device was not explosive.
Jackson said he had no idea if someone was trying to play a prank.
However, he said police would try to determine who taped the device to the tree and why. The device is being analyzed.
For more than an hour, rush hour traffic was re-routed. Park Avenue West was shut down from California Street to Champa Street and portions of Stout Street were also closed.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
