A bomb scare halted operations at state Circuit Court, closed roads and shuttered area businesses for nearly five hours Thursday as police investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be harmless.
State Sheriff Shawn Tsuha said no explosive material was found in the package and that it never posed any danger.
But he said officials exercised an abundance of caution because a person calling in a bomb threat just after 6 a.m. described a package that was similar to the one later found.
The package was described as about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide and was encased in a plastic bag.
A source familiar with the investigation told the Star-Advertiser that the package, which was on the Ewa side of the Circuit Court building, contained plant fertilizer and a galvanized pipe but no triggering device.
Police declined to say what was found in the package, but said a first-degree terroristic threatening case had been opened. No one was arrested.
The scare was a major inconvenience to scores of people, including those scheduled to appear in court.
But most also appeared to take it in stride.
Many said the Boston Marathon bombings were fresh in their minds and that it was better to be safe than sorry.
"After Boston this made me sick," said Aaron Hood, 36, who was scheduled to appear in court. "It’s a little scary."
Philip Gritman, 31, was planning to attend Drug Court on Thursday morning and was waiting out the scare at Restaurant Row.
"You’ve got to take this seriously," he said.
Dennis Pahia, 59, who was also headed to Drug Court, said seeing the scores of officers who responded to the scare was like being in a "war zone."
"You just have to be cautious," he said.
Circuit Court gets a slew of bomb threats each year, but Tsuha said this scare was different because of the nature of the call and the package found.
"We had to take it to the next level," he said, adding that the recent attacks in Boston did not weigh into the decision to cordon off the area and call in the bomb squad.
The incident began at about 6:05 a.m. when police dispatchers received a call that a bomb had been planted near the Circuit Court building and was set to explode at noon.
In a sweep of the area, a package was found, prompting law enforcement to close Punchbowl and Halekauwila streets near the courthouse.
At about 9:50 a.m. the Honolulu Police Department’s Specialized Services Division bomb squad used a water cannon to ensure the package was harmless.
An explosion was heard shortly after the bomb squad arrived, but a source told the Star-Advertiser that the sound from a water cannon is similar to a flash-bang grenade.
Circuit Court employees were allowed back into the building at about noon, and the court’s afternoon calendar resumed at 1 p.m.
Dozens of hearings set for Thursday morning were to be rescheduled at the discretion of judges.
The federal building, across Punchbowl Street from Circuit Court, was not evacuated during the bomb scare. However, all federal court business scheduled for Thursday was postponed, an official with the U.S. Marshals Service said. Court activity will resume today.
Besides the Circuit Court building, the state Departments of Labor and Taxation also were affected. The Tax and Labor departments are diagonally across the street at 830 Punchbowl St., which was evacuated. And Voyager Public Charter School, at 547 Halekauwila St., was also evacuated by police.
Circuit Court employees who reported early to work were told to "shelter in place" away from any potential blast area. Judges, attorneys and employees who arrived later were not allowed into the court building.
Court sessions normally begin at 8:30 a.m.
Many of those affected by the scare ended up at Restaurant Row, where they filled tables, drinking coffee and chatting.
Court clerk Jannis Shiroma said workers had been feverishly texting and calling each other all morning to see what was going on.
But the courthouse staff trains for this, she added.
"We were pretty much prepared."
Star-Advertiser reporter Rosemarie Bernardo contributed to this report.
