New Mexico’s Capitol briefly evacuated due to bomb scare

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- Portions of the state Capitol, known as the "Roundhouse," were briefly evacuated Wednesday afternoon and nearby residents were told to shelter-in-place as a police bomb squad examined an item in a statehouse parking lot.

The Santa Fe Police Dept. and New Mexico State Police said they were alerted to a suspicious package in a parking lot near the intersection of Paseo De Peralta and Acequia Madre about 2:30 p.m.

That intersection was also shut down to traffic as events unfolded.

The item turned out to be an abandoned smoke extinguisher, authorities said as they cleared the scene and reopened the area around 4 p.m.

The incident played out as state capitals nationwide were on alert for President Joe Biden's inauguration day after the FBI warned law enforcement across the country of the potential for extremist violence.