KTLA

Bomb threat shuts down 118 Freeway

A bomb threat shut down the 118 Freeway near Porter Ranch on Friday night.

At around 8:25 p.m., L.A. School Police officers spotted a suspect from an ongoing investigation driving in the Northridge area.


When officers tried to pull the man over, he refused to yield, leading officers on a pursuit.

The chase continued onto the 118 Freeway when, at one point, the driver stopped the vehicle near the Reseda Boulevard offramp.

Officers eventually took the suspect into custody. During his arrest, however, he told police he had explosive devices in his vehicle.

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A bomb squad from the Los Angeles Police Department and crews from the L.A. Fire Department responded to the scene.

All eastbound lanes of the 118 Freeway near Reseda Boulevard were shut down and vehicles are being diverted onto surface streets.

Traffic was backed up for miles as multiple patrol vehicles were investigating the scene. Drivers were being asked to turn around on the freeway and exit through onramps.

Drivers headed to the area should seek an alternate route of travel.

This developing story will be updated.

Sky5 footage of the scene can be viewed in the video player above.