BY REBECCA BENNETT — A Target employee found a suspicious suitcase left in a shopping cart Monday evening, Hyattsville City Police (HCPD) Spokesperson Lt. Chris Purvis said. That employee called mall security, which prompted a response by HCPD and the Prince George’s County Fire & Rescue Bomb Squad.
Authorities scanned the suitcase, deemed it safe, and found nothing inside when they opened it, Purvis said. They do not know who left the suitcase, he said.
Shoppers trying to get to Target at the Mall at Prince Georges or get to their cars in the parking lot were blocked by police tape and police vehicles. One shopper said she only waited 20 minutes to get to her car. Another local resident said her family was going to make a Target run, but it didn’t work out.
“I believe due to the events around the world and in our own county we are being more cautious with these types of calls,” Purvis said. “I anticipate seeing more and more, especially with the ‘See Something, Say Something’ motto.”
