PHOENIX --
The Phoenix Convention Center was evacuated Monday afternoon after a suspicious package was found, police said.
A special home loan event has been under way there since Friday, attracting thousands of struggling homeowners seeking mortgage relief.
A man walked up to an event security guard, handed her a canvas bag and said, "This doesn't belong to me. I hope it doesn't blow up," according to police. That security guard alerted the convention center staff who chose to evacuate part of the building. The Phoenix police bomb squad responded along with Phoenix firefighters.
Police officers arrived and conducted a bomb sweep.
Officer James Holmes said everyone followed proper procedures.
"We went in and we rendered the package safe," Holmes said. "We took a look inside and what we had was a bunch of personal items."
Police located the man in connection with the threat who had been attending the home loan event. Holmes said the man had no intention to harm or disrupt anything. It appears the man may have found the bag and out of his own fear, wanted to alert security.
Reporter Donna Rossi contributed to this story.
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