Lake Worth police: 2 suspicious packages found at shopping center

Multiple agencies investigated a series of suspicious packages placed at a Lake Worth shopping center Thursday, city police said in a news release.

According to a series of posts on a Lake Worth police social media page posted at 11:30 a.m., officers began investigating a suspicious package in front of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, in the 6000 block of Azle Avenue near the Lake Worth Center strip mall. A suspect “involved in the placing” of the package was detained by officers, and two lanes of Loop 820 were closed as a precaution, the post said.

Lake Worth police said Donald Scott, 43, is facing felony charges of terroristic threat and retaliation. Police also said Scott was on federal probation for bank robbery and had two prior convictions for unlawful carrying of a weapon.

A second suspicious device was later discovered in the 3900 block of Boat Club Road, prompting traffic to be shut down on the street from Jacksboro Highway to Azle Avenue, the thread said. All traffic on Loop 820 was temporarily stopped while police bomb squads worked “to render the device safe.”

A post at 1:38 p.m. said the first device in front of Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers was “rendered safe” and traffic on Loop 820 was re-opened. Police said at about 3:35 p.m. that the second device was rendered safe as well.

Lake Worth police said the Fort Worth police and fire departments, as well as the Dallas office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted in the investigation.