The Jazz Beat the Warriors. Then Someone Found a Shoebox

Salt Lake City's Vivint Smart Home Arena evacuated after 'suspicious' package found
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 23, 2019 6:00 AM CST
The Jazz Beat the Warriors. Then Someone Found a Shoebox
Salt Lake City police officers stand guard in a concourse of Vivint Smart Home Arena after the Utah Jazz's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors on Friday in Salt Lake City.   (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors Friday night 113-109, but unexpected excitement came after the last ball had been thrown. Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City was evacuated just minutes after the NBA game had ended, Fox News reports. The cause of the clear-out: Salt Lake City Police Lt. Carlos Valencia says a "suspicious" shoebox was found underneath a table in one of the arena's eatery's, per KSTU. After a bomb-sniffing police dog "got a hit" on the shoebox, authorities got everyone who was still in the arena out—mostly players, coaches, and workers by that point, as many fans had left already.

Some players didn't even have the chance to go back to the locker rooms to change, leaving the arena still in uniform. A bomb squad determined the shoebox was a toolbox, and teams were allowed back inside about two hours later. "Public safety is paramount to us and we take these complaints very seriously," Valencia told reporters. (More evacuation stories.)

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