Garfield Smith Accused of Bomb Threat Near Federal Building

Bomb threats also create traffic jams

​Update: Police have arrested 45-year-old Garfield Smith, a transient. He was booked for false reports of a bomb, placing a fictitious bomb, and terrorist threats.

Original Story 3:15 p.m.: San Francisco's bomb squad detonated a suspicious backpack that was left in the Civic Center area early Tuesday morning after a man claimed he had a bomb inside the bag.

At about 10:45 a.m., he told people outside the Federal Building at 499 Polk Street that he had a bomb in his backpack. He then left the bag on the sidewalk and took off.

Police shut down the nearby streets for several hours, and warned employees at the Federal Building not to use the Golden Gate entrance of the building. A nearby construction site was evacuated, police said. A shelter-in-place was ordered at the San Francisco Superior Court.

The city's bomb experts arrived at about 11:15 a.m. to investigate the suspicious package.

At 1:45 p.m., the bomb squad detonated the package. It's not yet clear whether the backpack had explosives in it, but police said the place was "all clear" as of 2:55 p.m. Police are still outside investigating the crime scene, which means streets will be closed for several more hours.

Check back for updates.