According to West Yorkshire Police, a “potentially suspicious item” prompted the evacuation of a Leeds shopping center and its environs on Monday afternoon.
At 2:24 p.m. on Monday, the 17th, the police were summoned to Merrion Way in Leeds City Centre.
A police barrier was established, and patrons and employees were instructed to leave the center. While army disposal experts evaluated the object, some nearby highways were restricted.
Shortly after 6 p.m., the specialists cleared the area, and the cordon was removed.
“I was at the self checkout when someone started shouting to get out of the shop,” Luke, 22, a student who was shopping for food at the time, told The Leeds Tab.
“At first, I was really perplexed, so I kind of froze, but as soon as everyone started heading for the exit, I stopped shopping and followed suit.
“They came over the tannoy to tell everyone to evacuate as we were leaving.”
“I heard someone say it was a bomb threat,” he continued. I feel sorry for all of the employees who are waiting outside without coats.
After waiting for a while, I decided to grab a McDonald’s and head home because it didn’t look like they would be opening anytime soon.
“I’m relieved that everyone is alright, but I still haven’t done my grocery shopping and I misplaced my lifelong favorite bag.”
Students in the area documented their day under lockdown and shared their opinions about the occurrence on social media sites like TikTok.
West Yorkshire Police were contacted by The Leeds Tab for comment.
“Police were called to Merrion Way in Leeds at 2.24pm today after a report that a potentially suspicious item had been left there,” a West Yorkshire Police spokesperson stated.
Following an incident involving a possibly suspicious object in the city center, West Yorkshire Police would like to express their gratitude to the residents of Leeds for their patience.
Police were notified that something had been placed on Merrion Way in Leeds at 2:24 p.m.
“The cordon has been lifted after Army bomb disposal experts evaluated the item and gave the all-clear shortly after 6pm.”
Leave a Reply