"Suspicious Package" Closes Montana Avenue From 14th to 15th Street on Friday Afternoon

Update, 3:24 pm PST: Police department alerts residents that the Alert is over, barriers and tap removed, situation normal.

12 Noon 7/18/25: A clothing store brought the bomb squad to Montana Avenue Friday afternoon, after it called to report a suspicious package on Friday just before noon. The package had no mailing label or address on it and was simply left at the store. "There's more to it than that," one fireman told us. "But what it is, I can't say."

The incident caused Santa Monica police and fire to close off the entire block while the hazmat team moved the package Friday.

A clothing store brought the bomb squad to Montana Avenue Friday afternoon, after it called to report a suspicious package on Friday afternoon.

Stores including Whole Foods Market were closed. But others, such as La La Land Kindness Cafe, remained open. At least 7 units of the Santa Monica Fire Department, as well as 15 or so Santa Monica Policemen responded to the scene. I asked one of the firemen, what exactly was "suspicious" about the package. He said, "There's more to it than that, but I can't comment on it."

The bomb squad uncovered two bombs in Santa Monica last night. Separately, an explosion killed 3 LA County Sheriff's deputies in East LA early this morning, while the LASD bomb squad was trying to defuse them. It is not yet clear whether the 2 stories are connected.