Woman taken to hospital after Metro Courthouse evacuated due to suspicious package
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — After opening a package with a suspicious powder substance inside at the Metro Courthouse on Wednesday morning, one person was taken to the hospital.
Nashville Fire Department spokesman Joseph Pleasant said a woman opened a package that had a white powder substance inside. Firefighters took the woman to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment after complaining of respiratory issues. She was not in critical condition, according to Pleasant.
“The woman we transported was coughing. However, we aren’t sure exactly if that was related to the substance of something else,” Pleasant said.
A security guard in the building was isolated after being near the substance as a precaution. Crews set up a tent outside the courthouse to investigate the substance.
But due to small traces of it, they said they were unable to make that determination on scene. The FBI will further explore what the substance is.
“We have a machine called the ‘ID Elite’ that they will put the substance in or be able to exclude substances for us to know,” Pleasant explained.
The first floor of the courthouse was evacuated after the incident, which was reported around 8:45 a.m. Mayor John Cooper left the building. The area where the package was opened has been isolated.
Metro Police, the Office of Emergency Management, and the FBI are investigating the incident. Officials will be trying to determine who sent the package and the substance of the powder. Pleasant said he believed the Finance Office received the package.
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