UPDATE: Travis experts say device did not have anything inside. They declared it "inert." They cleared the scene at 3:15 p.m. They were going to take the device back to the Air Force base Friday afternoon as a precaution.The scene should be completely clear by the start of the Giants game.
===================================
A suspicious device was discovered in San Francisco Friday morning. The device, which was an unexploded military-grade artillery shell from a former steel manufacturer, was uncovered at 3rd and Mariposa.
Construction crews apparently uncovered the device while sifting through dirt. They took it themselves to an area across the street from McCovey Cove before notifying authorities, police spokesman Carlos Manfredi told Bay City News.
The item in question is pictured below. It is described as a foot and a half long and similar in shape to a bullet.
As a precaution, police evacuated two nearby buildings as well as residents who live in houseboats along the waterfront, NBC Bay Area reported.
The Police Department's bomb squad responded to the scene just before 11 a.m.
Local
They called in explosive experts from Travis Air Force Base a couple hours later. The Travis team declared the scene all clear around 3 p.m. after it determined the device was an empty shell.
Manfredi said police want to discourage people from transporting a suspicious device that could be explosive.
"As a rule of thumb, if you see something that may go boom, stay away."
SFPD had Channel Street blocked off. They also closed the King Street off-ramp of Highway 280 for a time.
The Giants play the Dodgers tonight at AT&T. The game has a 7:15 p.m. start time.
The area where the device is currently located is near the parking lot across the street from McCovey Cove.
The scene should be completely cleared by the time fans begin arriving, according to the SFPD.
