Suspicious item in downtown Las Vegas dumpster was empty pipe

Las Vegas police determined a suspicious device in a dumpster Thursday afternoon near a downtown business was an empty pipe.

An employee of the business found the device about 4:20 p.m. on the 500 block of South Eighth Street, near East Bonneville Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South, Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Jay Rivera said.

“Apparently another employee threw it in a dumpster,” Rivera said.

The employee who found the device suspected it may have been dangerous, police said. However, police later learned it was an empty pipe, Lt. Dustin Butler said.

Metro’s ARMOR unit, an explosives and hazardous materials response team, and the Las Vegas Fire Department bomb squad responded.

Officers evacuated parts of the area while they investigated, he said. Nearby streets were closed as a precaution.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.