3:24 p.m. update: COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus police have declared The Commons in downtown Columbus “all clear” after investigating a backpack which was found in a bathroom at about 1:30 p.m. today.
The facility was evacuated for several hours this afternoon when investigators, including bomb squads from Columbus police and Johnson County, investigated the backpack and its contents. Nothing harmful was found inside the backpack, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
Washington Street between Third and Fourth streets is being reopened as soon as police vehicles leave the scene, Harris said.
This story will be updated.
