AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Public Safety has cleared the scene of the Texas State Capitol building after it was evacuated Tuesday afternoon due to reports of a suspicious package and letter.
DPS released the following statement:
"The Texas Department of Public Safety responded to a suspicious package and letter that were delivered to a state representative's office at the Texas Capitol today. DPS officers, including the DPS bomb squad responded to the scene and a limited area of the Capitol Extension was evacuated as a precautionary measure. DPS has cleared the scene and no viable threat was discovered, and the area was reopened to the public."
Representative Matt Schaefer originally tweeted that DPS evacuated his staff at the Capitol, along with other offices in the vicinity, due to a suspicious package.
Our news partners at the Austin American-Statesman reported that the Austin Police Department responded to the call at the intersection of Lavaca Street and West 13th around 1:19 p.m., but the incident was handed off to another agency. Police could not confirm if that incident is related to what Schaefer reported.
