The entrance at Hamilton Place mall near Piccadilly cafeteria was locked down for about 90 minutes this afternoon when security personnel located a “suspicious bag,” mall officials said.
A security officer called the Chattanooga Police Department around 1 p.m.
Chattanooga police sent in a bomb sniffing K-9 and determined that there were no explosives present in the shopping bag, according to police spokeswoman Jerri Weary. Further examination of the bag turned up sales papers, an empty box and other shopping paraphernalia, she said.
Mall spokeswoman Catherine Pangratz said only the one mall entrance was closed.
“We take the safety and security of our shoppers and our mall retailer very seriously,” she said. “(The lockdown) is a huge inconvenience for folks, our shoppers.”