What's Wrong With This Picture...

This is a photo of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks at approximately noon on Wednesday.

Why is it so empty you must be wondering?

As my news nose spotted the first helicopter swooping low over Van Nuys and Moorpark I followed its path to see just what the heck was going on.

You can always tell the intensity of a situation by how low the choppers are flying so of course this one caught my attention immediately. By the time I got close all the streets were blocked off so I found something on the side street, grabbed the holga and headed towards the action. Off in the distance that distinctive blare that only the bomb squad vehicles have, burst through the otherwise silent air and I knew by that eerie sound that there had been a bomb threat of some kind.

The streets were blocked between Hazeltine and Beverly Glenn for about half an hour. Apparently it was a false alarm, and after a debriefing at the carwash on the corner all parties went on their crimebusting way.

The next shot is the officer taking the blockade tape down and none too soon.



Looking back towards Van Nuys Boulevard you could see the backup it had created on this main thoroughfare in the San Fernando Valley.