The building was searched by the ELPD with the assistance of the MSU police K-9 unit, and no suspicious packages were found, Sgt. James Phelps of the ELPD said in a statement.

People were given permission to go back into the building at approximately 1:10 p.m.

Capt. Jeff Murphy of the ELPD said most of the time, these threats are just false and it doesn’t turn out that there is a bomb in the building, but it was still important to evacuate the building when the threat was found.

“We always take these things seriously because nowadays anything could happen — that’s why we suggested to the business owner that they evacuate the building,” Murphy said.

He said the case is under investigation by the department’s detective bureau, and police will make every effort possible to identify the person who made the threat.

Making a threat of this kind is a felony, Murphy said. This afternoon, detectives went to the Douglas J Aveda Institute to further investigate the threat, and extra officers will patrol the area surrounding the salon for the next few days, he said.

“It is a big drain on city resources and the resources of Douglas J and the business around that area,” Murphy said. “It would be our goal to find the person who made the threat as quickly as possible.”

The investigation is ongoing, and quite often these types of threats turn out to be disgruntled employees or someone involved with the business or students. At this time, the ELPD has no idea who made the threat, but there are people of interest who were in the building around the time the incident occurred, Murphy said.

ELPD will look into the people of interest to see if they are possible suspects of making the threat, he said.

Christina Minnis, executive director of marketing for Douglas J Companies said before today’s incident, the institute had yet to experience a similar threat.

“In the 19-year history since the Aveda Institute opened in East Lansing, this is the first threat of its kind,” Minnis said in a statement. “We are cooperating fully with the East Lansing Police Department to find the suspect. We have handed over video surveillance and all information we have at this time.”

Minnis also said that for the remainder of the week, the institute will be taking some extra security precautions — limiting guests and students to only enter through the institute’s primary door on Grand River Avenue, having a security guard set at that door checking bags, continuing communication with the ELPD and having the premises surveyed every morning and afternoon.

Graduate student Andrew Gardner, an employee at MSU Technologies located on the third floor of the building, said at about noon he was told to evacuate his office without a reason why.

“I found out from one of the bystanders on the street that there was a bomb threat,” Gardner said.

He said he was outside for about an hour — just enough time to get a cup of coffee.

Gardner said he and most of the other people who had been evacuated from the building and were standing outside were curious rather than scared or nervous.

The ELPD encourages people to keep an ear or eye out for any suspicious people in the area and report anything out of the ordinary or information related to the incident to the police.

Check The State News for further updates