TRAX authorities investigating bag, threatening note on train

TRAX service was disrupted Friday after someone left a threatening note on a train, and authorities found an abandoned a black duffel bag on the exact same train.

Utah Transit Authority spokesman Gerry Carpenter said police Friday night were trying to determine if the two incidents were connected or if they were just a coincidence.

Carpenter said about 5 p.m. a passenger on a southbound Red Line train called TRAX police to say they had found a handwritten note on a schedule holder that contained a potential threat to the train.

The train was stopped at Fashion Place West and everyone was evacuated from the train. As authorities searched the train, they found a black duffel bag placed under a seat in one of the cars that nobody would claim.

Because of the proximity of the note and bag, Carpenter said authorities had to treat the situation as a legitimate threat. The West Valley City bomb squad was called out and they later determined the bag contained personal belongings, not explosives.

He said TRAX officers were searching the bag and watching surveillance to determine who left the bag and to try to determine if the two were connected. He said each year UTA employees find thousands of lost items.

The incident, however, sparked heavy delays for afternoon commuters on the Red and Blue lines. By about 8:30 p.m., all trains were operational again.

jstecklein@sltrib.com

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