Toronto police detonate ‘hoax device’ that looked like bomb at U of T Scarborough

Toronto police officers say they have detonated a “hoax device” found at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus Tuesday afternoon that at first appeared to look like a bomb.

“It’s concerning for everyone,” Insp. Dan Pravica told reporters during a news conference at 43 Division Tuesday evening.

Officers said they were called by campus security to an unspecified campus building just after 3:45 p.m. when a suspicious package was found.

The discovery led to at least one building being evacuated. It also forced a shut down of Military Trail between Morningside Avenue and Ellesmere Road.

Members of the Toronto Police Service’s explosive disposal unit (EDU) were called in to examine the device with a robot and ultimately detonate it.

“What the officers determined based on seeing the x-rays led them to believe it was an explosive device,” Pravica said.

“Although it had the characteristics, it looked like one, it did not have the explosive component to actually explode.”

Members of the canine unit were brought in to check the nearby area to see if there were other devices, but none were found.

Officers said a specific threat about the device wasn’t called into them and as of Tuesday evening there weren’t any notes referencing it.

Pravica said officers are now reviewing building surveillance footage in an effort to find the person who placed the device.

“It ties up a lot of resources,” he said, referencing the large number of police officers, paramedics and firefighters who had to respond in case the device was indeed an explosive.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE: (UPDATE)
Ellesmere Rd & Morningside Ave
3:46pm
– EDU has detonated the explosive device
– K9 unit is attending to check the campus for further devices
– roads remain closed while police investigate#GO1716174
^se

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) August 6, 2024