Photo by Sarah Bennett

1:20pm | The Long Beach County Courthouse was cleared of all suspicious packages and reopened to judges and jurors just after 1:00PM. Members of the public began lining up for reentry at the building’s main security entrance at 1:15PM.

12:40pm | Updated by Greggory Moore | The Long Beach County Courthouse was evacuated beginning at approximately 11AM Tuesday morning, due to what police are saying was a “suspicious package.”

According to Sgt. Andrea Stella of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept., a briefcase was found abandoned in the courthouse’s law library, which is located on the fifth floor.

“We did have a suspicious person leave that package—it was a briefcase—so we just want to render it safe,” Stella said, “at which time we will re-open the building. If it’s not safe, then of course we have to take the necessary action.”

Stella said that the person seen leaving the briefcase has yet to be located, but that the Department’s bomb squad is inside investigating. He did not know when the building would be re-opened to the public.

Long Beach Police Department is also on site to assist deputies in road closures and security. Ocean Blvd. is currently closed from Chestnut Ave. to Magnolia Ave.

More information as it becomes available.

12:19pm | The Long Beach Post received a report at 12:05PM today that the Long Beach Courthouse, at 415 W. Ocean Blvd. has been evacuated due to a report of a “suspicious package” on the premises. We have contacted the Long Beach Police Department and will update this story as more information becomes available.