Owners retrieve cooler with metal pot which caused SouthPark Mall evacuation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The owners of a cooler containing a metal pot that forced an evacuation at the Nordstrom at SouthPark were found.

They told officers they left it outside while they were shopping and planned to pick it up later.

Nordstrom was evacuated Saturday afternoon after a report of a suspicious package.

Channel 9 was on scene as hazmat crews sent in a robot to check out the department store.

"They said somebody dropped something and we had to leave the building,” said mall employee Terry Crawford. "I was scared, so I just had to leave like all the other employees.”

Officers responded as a precaution, and the bomb squad was notified.

"It turns out, we thought it was some sort of some cooking pot and decided to do a render safe procedure,” CMPD Deputy Chief Coerte Voorhees said. “We did that, and at this time, there is no evidence of anything being a danger to the public."

Bomb squad technicians used a robot to move the package away from the building where it was rendered safe.

Police shut down Fairview Road at Sharon Road and Fairview Road at Barclay Downs Road near the mall.

"You gotta treat it seriously until you know that it's nothing,” Voorhees said.

CMPD says Suspicious package is outside Southpark Mall. The CMPD bomb squad is planning a render safe procedure which will create a loud noise. Do not be alarmed if you hear a loud noise in the area.@wsoctv pic.twitter.com/UJWdtAOxia
— Stephanie Tinoco (@STinocoWSOC9) July 28, 2018