It was a tense few hours at Detroit’s WDIV Thursday evening as the station was evacuated while the city’s bomb squad examined a suspicious bag left in the building’s foyer.
The Detroit bomb squad arrived at the station around 8:30 p.m., after WDIV staff had evacuated the building. Shortly before 11:00 p.m., investigators ruled that there were no explosives inside the bag and police eventually apprehended the man who is believed to have left the package.
WDIV staffers didn’t have much time to let the relief sink in, though, as the station scrambled to air its 11 p.m. newscast on time.
Anchor Devin Scillian and reporter Mara MacDonald began the newscast standing in the street outside the station, explaining to viewers what had transpired while also discussing the ethical considerations behind reporting an incident that they were personally affected by.
Standing outside, Scillian told viewers that if WDIV staffers had been able to return to the studio in time to prepare the normal newscast, the NBC-affiliate may not have immediately mentioned what had happened that night since they still did not have specific details about the bomb squad’s efforts.
Around 11:15, WDIV switched to the studio as anchor Carmen Harlan welcomed viewers and gave a quick rundown of what had happened (video here). Scillian joined her at the anchor desk a few minutes later as the 11 p.m. news team continued its coverage of the bomb scare.
Here’s some raw footage of the scene outside WDIV on Thursday night: