LOS ANGELES, April 18 (Xinhua) -- At least four bomb threats were reported Thursday in Los Angeles, fraying the nerves of the city at a time when the country is still reeling from the deadly Boston bombings.
The campus of California State University Los Angeles (CSULA), currently with about 20,000 students, was evacuated Thursday after a nearby police department received a phone call by an anonymous male at around 11 a.m. local time (1800 GMT), who said a bomb would go off in the campus in two hours.
CSULA spokesman Paul Browning told Xinhua in the afternoon that the school authority immediately began to evacuate students and staff as a precaution after learning the situation, and informed students and teachers via loud speakers, email, online announcement and social media.
Most students and staff in the El Sereno campus have been evacuated, all classes canceled for the day, and roads to the campus closed.
"At the first step, get everyone off. That's good. Now they have time and they can work. You know, no one is here so nobody will get hurt," school staff Anthony Christopher told Xinhua.
Christopher said that he has been in the school for seven years and it was the first time he heard a bomb threat for his school.
CSULA student Carlos Lopez told Xinhua he was "pretty scared." "I have a lot of friends here. I was really worried about what's gonna happen," he said.
The threat was not specific to an exact location at the school. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) dispatched a bomb squad to the campus and later confirmed nothing had been found.
Later in the day, a device was reported to have been left in front of a courthouse in the city of Pomona, about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Los Angeles.
Local police then closed the building and used a robot to examine the device.
Also on Thursday, a man walked into a Hooters restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard and announced he had a bomb in his lunch pail, but later told officers he was just joking.
A bomb squad was sent to the restaurant but found nothing. The man was arrested and is expected to face charges, police said.
In the evening, LAPD sent a bomb squad to the University of Southern California due to a report of a suspicious package.
The city reported several bomb hoaxes earlier this week.
On Tuesday, a 53-year-old man who allegedly claimed a bomb was on a Metrolink train in Burbank was arrested on a warrant. The train stopped at the Burbank station about 12:30 p.m local time (1930 GMT) Tuesday and was evacuated and searched, but no explosives were found.
The man allegedly told a female passenger there was a bomb on the train, and she told the conductor, who notified authorities as the train was pulling into the Burbank station, local police said.
Metrolink train No. 286 was cleared to be put back in service after about 90 minutes, Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson told the media. About four dozen passengers were taken off the train while a bomb squad searched it.
On Tuesday evening, local KTLA TV station was evacuated after a caller told police he was going to detonate three devices he had placed in the broadcaster's office building. The call was later confirmed by the police as hoax.
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, authorities in Southern California went on a heightened state of alert, beefing up security at Los Angeles International Airport, Dodger Stadium and other venues where crowds congregate. Los Angeles authorities have said they planned more vigilant security for the foreseeable future.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has encouraged the public to say something if they see something.
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