By Town Crier Staff Report

Deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office closed off El Camino Real between Showers Drive and San Antonio Road about 5 p.m., Dec. 13, while the bomb squad investigated a possible explosive.

In response to the report of a suspicious package from a passenger on a public bus, sheriff’s deputies shut down El Camino Real while the squad assessed a small, black suitcase left at a bus stop on El Camino.

Commuter traffic backed up for blocks while the sheriffs cordoned off the area with flares and caution tape and detoured motorists around the area. Deputy Mark Sutherland donned an 85-pound green ballistic suit and used imaging equipment to evaluate the suitcase. When he judged it safe to examine by hand, he opened the suitcase, which held a pair of women’s shoes and other items.

The sheriff’s seven-member bomb squad is one of the largest and best equipped in this area, according to Serg Palanov, public information officer. Washburn estimated that the squad averages one call each week.

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