Bomb scare at UVa caused by toolbox

A bomb scare that closed a University of Virginia parking deck Thursday afternoon turned out to have been caused by a toolbox.

A UVa security officer found the metal box, which was shaped like a briefcase, on top of a pay station in the 11th Street garage shortly before 4 p.m., said Lt. Vincent Jones of the UVa police.

Drak, the Albemarle County Police Department’s bomb-detection dog, registered a possible “hit” on the case, so a Virginia State Police bomb squad went in to X-ray the case, which turned out to be harmless.

“We couldn’t say that it was a hit for sure, but when a dog sits down, that’s an indication that it could be an explosive,” Jones said.

The garage reopened shortly after 6 p.m.