Reports of a chemical odor in downtown Long Beach Tuesday afternoon prompted police to close down streets as they investigated what they initially thought could be a drug lab.

Police responded to the report at 1:10PM on the 200 block of Atlantic Avenue, according to Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria.

When they arrived, officers locked down the area and determined the incident was a possible drug lab, she said.

“Evacuations were conducted and narcotics detectives along with LB Fire Hazardous Materials Team responded,” Chavarria said.

Atlantic Avenue was closed in both directions between Broadway and Third Street and a man was briefly detained but shortly after 4:00PM, investigators announced there was no drug lab and the man was released. The man was in a motel room, she said.

There was no word on the source of the chemical odor that prompted the police response.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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