Downtown Lexington cleared after police shutdown

Natalie Parks

Lexington police say the downtown area is all clear after they shut down several streets to investigate a reported vehicle.

At 10:25 p.m., the police department tweeted that the department’s hazardous devices unit had investigated an RV parked downtown after it was reported sitting unoccupied by an officer at 7:40 p.m. Officers were able to make contact with the driver and confirm there were no explosives, declaring the area safe after two hours of evacuation from the scene.

Police first warned Lexington residents to avoid the downtown area at 8:30 p.m. Residents in hotels and restaurants around Short Street, Vine, Broadway and Third Street were evacuated.

According to WKYT, bomb robots were deployed to the RV in question. Lexington police said an explosives canine was brought in “given the circumstances.”

An RV was parked and used in a bombing in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day last week, damaging several city blocks.