Update at 4:15pm: The Department of Public Safety said in a statement Tuesday that a “limited area” of underground offices “was evacuated as a precautionary measure,” but later reopened when the scene “was cleared and no viable threat was discovered.”
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A Texas state lawmaker says his office and others nearby in the state Capitol were evacuated “due to a suspicious package.”
Republican Rep. Matt Schaefer of Tyler tweeted Tuesday that the Department of Public Safety evacuated his staff “along with other offices in the vicinity” inside the sprawling Capitol building in downtown Austin. Schaefer concluded with: “If phones are not answered, leave a message.”
A couple of hallways leading to lawmakers’ offices were subsequently blocked off, but the Capitol remained open with tourists and others coming and going as normal.
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