A bomb scare temporarily shut down a portion of Goleta’s Calle Real Shopping Center on Wednesday, causing an unwelcome break for business owners and customers.
According to employees at shops on the south side of the 5700 block of Calle Real, an unopened bag was found on the sidewalk in front of the Quizno’s sandwich shop. The Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene at around 1 p.m., along with other emergency services personnel.
Authorities evacuated the surrounding area and the bomb squad sent in its robot to inspect the suspicious package, which was found to be empty. The entire commotion lasted about two hours, and the atmosphere had returned to normal by about 3 p.m.