Austin Police Say to 'Stay Inside' After 2 Injured in Package Bomb Explosion

Emergency Crews in Austin responded to a explosion Sunday night that happened in the southwest part of the city.Austin Police said two men were transported to the hospital with serious injuries, but they are not expected to be life-threatening. Police are urging people to avoid the area.Police Chief Brian Manley isn’t confirming the cause of the latest explosion in Austin, Texas, or if it’s related to three previous blasts elsewhere in the city.But he is repeating calls for residents not to handle unexpected packages and also urged residents of the southwest Austin neighborhood where the latest explosion occurred to stay in their homes. The chief says investigators will keep the surrounding area closed at least until daybreak as they collect evidence. He says authorities also have received a separate report of a suspicious backpack in the area and are still working to “clear” that.The area around the explosion site has been blocked off and authorities are interviewing neighbors and searching for possible witnesses. It is far from areas of the city where three package bombs exploded earlier this month.The Austin-Travis County EMS service tweeted that the location was in the 4800 block of Dawn Song Drive. Austin Police tweeted that residents in the area should stay in their homes and follow any instructions provided by officers. Earlier Sunday, law enforcement officials announced an increased reward to $100,000 for information leading to an arrest in the investigation of the deadly package bombings that happened earlier this month in Austin. Two Austin residents were killed and two were critically injured in the bombings.The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Austin police department are asking for the public’s help in identifying suspect(s) responsible for the package bombs.Police said the bombings in east Austin — two on March 12 and one on March 2 — are likely linked.The March 2 bombing killed Anthony Stephan House after he handled a box left on his front porch.Refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.Photo Credit: NBC 5 News This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Source: NBC San Diego