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The suspicious package reported Thursday afternoon at the Mesilla Valley Mall was located and determined to be of no threat to the public.
Shortly before 1 p.m., Las Cruces Police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious package inside the mall. Officers arrived and learned that the package was near an east-facing entrance to the mall. The mall was evacuated as a precautionary measure and Telshor Boulevard, near the mall, was closed for a short time.
The Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad was called in, located the package and at around 3 p.m. determined that it posted no further threat to the public. The package was turned over to agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for further analysis.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya could not confirm whether or not the device contained explosives.
“It is some kind of device,” Montoya said. “We’re not sure what kind of device, but we know it was dismantled by the DASO bomb squad, and ATF is going to look at that to see was it really a good device, was it an actual explosive device, or was it just a hoax so that is part of that investigation we have to figure out.”
No injuries were reported
The Mesilla Valley Mall was closed while law enforcement and explosive-detection K-9s conducted a protective sweep of the interior and exterior grounds. Businesses at the mall were able to reopen around 8 p.m.
The investigation is being handled by the Las Cruces Police Department with assistance from several local and federal agencies, including: the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, New Mexico State University Police, ATF and the FBI.
This comes just days after explosives were detonated outside of two Las Cruces Churches on Sunday, Chief Montoya says the investigations are currently being handled as separate cases.
“Looking at parts of the investigation they are trying to tie them together,” Montoya said. “Either it’s a copycat, which it very well could be, or it could be the same person doing it. So, that’s what ATF is trying to do piece the bombs together from the church and see if it’s similar to the device that we have now. So, that’s part of that investigation trying to either tie them together or separate them.”
Montoya says as of now, there is no evidence linking the two cases. He is urging the community to remain vigilant.
“We have a community of 100,000 people,” Montoya said. “A 100,000 pairs of eyes is better than what we have right now on the street. Our guys are doing frequent patrols of the businesses, of the schools, especially next week. We encourage our citizens to report any suspicious packages or people, and this is typical of what we saw here. Someone reported a suspicious package, it was great, and we got there in time to deactivate the device.”
Anyone with information on who may be responsible for placing the package at the mall is asked to call police at (575) 526-0795 or 911 if they know the immediate whereabouts of the person.