Shoppers and business owners had a change from their usual routine when Ridge Meadows RCMP and the bomb squad descended on Meadow Ridge Shopping Centre, Wednesday afternoon.
Half a dozen police cars converged on to the former location of a bank on 207th Street at about 1:30 p.m., to investigate a suspicious package.
An employee of Photo Express, which is nearby, saw a pipe with some wires in a clear plastic bag, placed just inside the doorway. The employee said two people then came into the store and told them of the bag.
But the employee said that the whole thing seemed to be a ruse, although the bomb squad attended.
Nevertheless, all nearby stores were evacauated and closed for a few hours while police searched.
Ridge Meadows RCMP didn’t respond to inquiries.