Explosives specialists in Palo Alto are trying identify a chemical substance that caused an explosion today, leading to an evacuation of the Palo Alto Police Department and City Hall this morning.
Police department spokesman Jim Coffman says approximately 30 police officers and administrative workers were evacuated from the police department after a 12-ounce plastic water bottle filled with a clear liquid exploded in an evidence room at about 6:30 a.m. today.
The shivering crowd stood outside and waited to re-enter the building at 275 Forest Ave. until around 9 a.m., when a hazardous material crew deemed the facility safe.
Coffman said the evacuation did not affect emergency operations, and 911 dispatchers never left the building.
Three police officers who were in the room at the time of the explosion were not injured, but Coffman says the men were checked at the scene by a Palo Alto fire and medic crew. They then went through the regular haz mat procedure of disposing of their clothes and taking showers.
The explosive device allegedly came from two suspects who were arrested last night.
Matthew Rieder of Fremont and Aaron Richardson of East Palo Alto, both 25 years old, were arrested after police were called to the 700 block of Welch Avenue at around 10 p.m. on reports of shots fired.
Upon arrival, officers heard low-level explosives and arrested Rieder and Richardson, who have since been booked in Santa Clara County Jail on numerous charges, Coffman said.<
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