Hoax bomb threat forces Dallas convention center evacuation

Dallas police say a hoax bomb threat forced the evacuation of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Friday afternoon.

A city spokesperson says someone called the convention center around 4 p.m. saying they had placed two backpacks with explosives in the building and that they would go off in 30 minutes.

The phone call prompted thousands of people to be evacuated from the convention center while a Call of Duty gaming convention and Dallas Marathon packet pickup were underway. A bomb squad was also called to the scene.

A video stream of the competition shows the moments some of the players seemed confused when the alarm sounded.

“White lights started going off,” Ricardo Robles recalled. “And everyone was freaking out. Just going, ‘What's going on?’”

Attendees thought they’d go right back inside. They huddled just outside the building. But all of a sudden, staff started urgently pushing crowds across the street.

‘Right when we showed up, there was a bunch of fire alarms going off,” recalled Robert Herrera.

After a thorough and hours-long search, police found several backpacks inside the convention center that gave them concern. However, authorities were not able to find any explosives. Police finished their search around 8 p.m. and determined it was a hoax bomb threat.

Dallas police haven't announced any arrests.

The Major League Gaming event and Dallas Marathon expo were both canceled for the night, but both will resume activities on Saturday.