A package containing electrical wires resulted in about 250 Davidson and UNC Greensboro fans having to evacuate their lower-level seats Friday afternoon during the Southern Conference basketball tournament at McKenzie Arena.
The package was found in section 316 in the upper level and was checked out by the Chattanooga Police Department’s bomb squad. The evacuation occurred during the final minutes of first-half action, and the displaced fans were cleared to return to their seats just before the start of the second half.
Mike Royster, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant athletic director who oversees facilities and equipment, said normal procedure was followed.
“We would have evacuated the whole building if that’s what the bomb squad or police had told us to do,” Royster said. “Nobody knew for sure who the package belonged to or what it was or how it got there, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.”
The package contained overhead lighting equipment, but it was not immediately known if was part of the Southern Conference setup or a remnant of last weekend’s Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam Thunder Nationals truck show.