King County Courthouse evacuated Friday after bomb threat

Afternoon court hearings on Friday were just getting underway as the alarm sounded at the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle and it was evacuated around 1:45 p.m.

“A community member who overheard someone outside the courthouse say that they intended to blow it to smithereens,” said Sheriff’s Sergeant Tim Meyer about why the courthouse was evacuated.

The sheriff’s department swept the courthouse with a bomb unit and dogs.

First responders blocked some streets and sidewalks as they investigated. The courthouse was cleared out for about an hour and half before bomb teams gave the “go-ahead” to re-enter around 3:15 p.m.

KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott reports that at least one court hearing had to be rescheduled for a man serving life who was about to be resentenced under a new state law, and hoped to go home after serving 23 years for what prosecutors now say should never have been more than eight.