Scene cleared where man threw backpack aboard CTA bus in Irving Park

Police have cleared the scene where a man threw a backpack aboard a CTA bus at a busy intersection Monday afternoon in the Irving Park neighborhood, prompting an evacuation and closures of the surrounding roads.

CTA spokeswoman Irene Ferradaz said the No. 82 Kimball bus was stopped at the intersection when a “man threw a suspicious package on the bus.”

She did not know if the man had been a passenger on the bus or threw the item from the street.

Chicago Police said “an unattended backpack” was discovered on the bus near Kimball and Elston about 4:25 p.m.

The bus was immediately evacuated, and CTA supervisors, police officers and firefighters were on the scene, Ferradaz said.

The Bomb & Arson Unit, and and K-9 units responded to the scene, where they cleared the package and the scene by 6:30 p.m., police said.

No injuries were reported.

No. 82 Kimball-Homan buses were temporarily rerouted in both directions due to street blockage, but returned to normal service by 7:11 p.m., according to the CTA