Festivities surrounding the Amgen Tour of California Race were brought to a temporary halt by a bomb scare in downtown Livermore Saturday afternoon, according to a police spokeswoman.
The multi-city bicycle race had already passed through town around 2:30 p.m. but many people remained on the scene when a suspicious cardboard box with a postmark from Southern California was spotted in a dumpster on the 2100 block of Second Street, according to Officer Traci Rebiejo.
The package was suspicious because police had cleared all garbage cans in the area prior to the race as a precaution, Rebiejo said.
A three-block area was evacuated and cleared of people and the Alameda County bomb squad was called to the scene.
However, a local vendor came forward and identified the box, saying it contained postcards and the scene was cleared shortly after 4 p.m.
"It just kind of ruined the festivities," Rebiejo said. "It was right smack in the middle of it all."
Also Saturday, while the riders were making their way through Brentwood, a CHP officer was seriously injured when he collided with a vehicle. The officer was helping clear the way for the riders when a car suddenly did a u-turn in front of him, according to the CHP. The officer was airlifted to a hospital, but is expected to make a full recovery.
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