Suspicious briefcase that caused evacuation of plaza in Agawam
was empty  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.