Suspicious briefcase that caused evacuation of plaza in Agawam was empty

A briefcase that was left in the parking lot of Rocky's Ace Hardware in the plaza at routes 57 and 159 in Agawam on Thursday was empty.

(The Republican | Greg Saulmon)07.14.2011 | AGAWAM - A briefcase left in the Rocky's Ace Hardware plaza Thursday afternoon prompted a response from the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad and an evacuation of the store.

This updates a story posted on Thursday at 2:35 p.m.

AGAWAM - A seemingly suspicious briefcase that was left in the parking lot of Rocky's Ace Hardware in the plaza at routes 57 and 159 in Agawam on Thursday was empty, police said Friday morning.

The conclusion came hours after the briefcase was found in the parking lot, prompting the partial evacuation of the plaza and a heavy response from local police departments and the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad.

"We erred on the side of caution but it turned out to be a whole lot of nothing inside," an Agawam police dispatcher said.

The gray briefcase was found in the middle of the parking lot around 2:30 p.m. Thursday.