Evacuation orders lifted after suspicious package found near Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A report of a suspicious package at Sproul Plaza on the University of California at Berkeley campus today has been determined to be unfounded, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

UC Berkeley police issued an advisory at 12:46 p.m. about the evacuation of the southwest portion of the plaza because of a suspicious package.

The report came during a noontime rally at Sproul Plaza by the conservative group Patriot Prayer that also drew many counter-protesters.

Sheriff's officials said on Twitter shortly after 1:20 p.m. that the report was unfounded.

UC Berkeley police said about 15 minutes later that evacuation orders for the southwest portion of Sproul Plaza and the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union had been lifted.

No other information about the incident was immediately available.

Bay City News contributed to this report.