NEW ORLEANS — Police say no bomb was found after a suspicious device was reported near Jackson Square Friday morning, prompting evacuations in the middle of the French Quarter.
The area of Decatur Street between Wilkerson Row and Dumaine Street, as well as the area of Decatur Street behind the St. Louis Cathedral, was evacuated while investigators look into the bomb threat.
But shortly after noon, it appears pedestrian traffic resumed in the area after bomb techs cleared the device.
The device was initially reported around 9 a.m. near the intersection of Decatur and Saint Ann streets.
According to NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson, the suspicious package was a box sitting on the curb near the intersection.
Police took a person into custody shortly after the box was discovered. The person reportedly claimed to be the owner of the box, and told police it was a bomb.
Ferguson said bomb technicians x-rayed the box to determine whether it actually was an explosive device.
The bomb threat was unrelated to another incident taking place in the French Quarter Friday morning, where a man was barricaded inside his home in the 500 block of Dauphine Street.
According to Ferguson, a man tried to enter a residence on that block around 8:30 a.m. and found a man inside that he wasn't expecting.
The man fired a gun at the victim, who was able to flee from the home and contact police.
According to Ferguson, the man is believed to still be in the home as of 11:30 a.m., but police are still working to establish a line of communication with him.
But NOPD officials asked the public to avoid both areas while the scenes remained active.
“The public is asked to avoid both locations at this time while police activity is ongoing,” the department said in an email.
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