I-10 westbound lanes near Quartzsite reopened after DPS investigates suspicious packages
May 30, 2013, 9:57 PM | Updated: 9:57 pm
A stretch of Interstate 10 westbound lanes near Quartzsite reopened Thursday night after being closed for hours due to reports of suspicious devices found inside a truck on the side of the road.
According to Arizona Department of Transportation, the I-10 westbound at milepost 45 to milepost 28 was reopened around 8:30 p.m.
Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Carrick Cook said officers initially responded to reports of someone throwing rocks on the side of I-10 near Quartzsite and determined the individual in question was suffering from a form mental illness.
“Our officers arrived and made contact with the individual, established there might be some kind of mental health disorder or something going on with him,” Cook said.
The man was taken to a Parker area hospital for further evaluation.
Officers opted to close the highway for a period of time because of the serious nature of the threat.
“Our bomb squad guys arrived to the truck and evaluated it and noticed that there was some kind of suspicious packages inside the truck itself so we kept westbound I-10 closed because of that,” Cook said.
