Bomb hoax evacuates Excalibur

Friday, June 18, 1999 | 11:25 a.m.

The discovery of what appeared to be an explosive device outside the Excalibur Hotel today led to an evacuation of several floors of the Strip resort, a shutdown of its monorail system and the rerouting of morning commuter traffic.

The device was concealed in a briefcase and placed in the back of an inlet in the southeast corner of the resort's No. 1 tower, officials aid. Its discovery was the result of hotel security following up on a phoned-in bomb threat early this morning.

"This was definitely a hoax," Clark County Fire Department spokesman Steve La-Sky said, discounting the possibility that the briefcase had been accidentally left there by a guest or some other passerby.

"This type of thing is frustrating because it ties up manpower and resources. And it appears to be more and more common as the new millennium approaches."

As of late this morning, no group or individual had claimed responsibility for the hoax, which will be investigated by Metro Police.

The device was discovered around 8:15 a.m. and detonated with a small charge at about 10 a.m., La-Sky said. No damage resulted from the small explosion that was used to destroy the device. Officials declined to immediately say what was in the bag.

After the discovery of what police described as a black leather satchel, the city of Las Vegas Fire Department bomb squad was dispatched to the scene. Metro Police rerouted traffic on Tropicana and Reno avenues. Television news reports warned motorists to avoid the area that had been shut down to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Almost immediately after the discovery of the mysterious briefcase, resort officials shut down the monorail that links the resort at 3850 Las Vegas Blvd. South to fellow Circus Circus gaming property, the Luxor.

Also, as a precaution, several floors of the Excalibur were evacuated of several hundred guests and hotel workers, La-Sky said.