DALLAS — DART resumed rail and bus service at Mockingbird Station late Saturday afternoon after a suspicious package forced evacuation of the transit center and an adjacent movie theater as a precaution.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, witnesses reported seeing a suspicious person getting on and off DART trains at several downtown stations. He was carrying a large duffel bag and a large box and had been offering to pay people to help him move the items.
The man was asked to leave the train by police at Mockingbird Station at the busy corner of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway. The station is below ground level at the portal to the only underground section of the DART light rail network.
DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said several factors led to the agency's cautious approach, which kept the station shut down for about four hours on Saturday afternon.
"On and off repeatedly through downtown, and the size of the packages... those are the sorts of things," he said. "They're very unusual."
The Dallas police bomb squad arrived at the scene shortly before 4 p.m. to examine the contents of the duffel bag and box. The items inside — which included a large carpet —were determined to be of no danger.
The man who was carrying the parcels was questioned by police but will likely face no charges. His name was not released.
Service on the Blue and Red lines was halted during the investigation. Passengers were shuttled around the trouble spot on buses and the Mockingbird Station parking area was sealed off by police tape.
DART announced that the facility was reopened shortly before 5 p.m.
Security officials may have heightened concerns because the U.S. assault on Osama bin Laden's compound last Sunday revealed plans for an al-Qaida attack on unspecified U.S. railroads.
On Thursday, more than a dozen students were injured when the escalator at the Mockingbird Station malfunctioned.
E-mail jbetz@wfaa.com
