Tuesday afternoon, Las Cruces Police Department announced the temporary closing of a portion of Sonoma Ranch Boulevard and nearby roadways while an explosives disposal unit from Fort Bliss responds to a storage facility on the 3400 block of north Sonoma Ranch Boulevard.
LCPD said that both directions of Sonoma Ranch Boulevard are temporarily closed from Sedona Hills Parkway on the south to Rinconada Boulevard on the north. No foot or motorized traffic is permitted in the area until further notice.
Police said that students and staff at nearby Camino Real Middle School and Dona Ana Community College have been asked to shelter-in-place. NMSU did issue an evacuation notice Tuesday afternoon for the DACC East Mesa Campus and told others to avoid the area.
Las Cruces police say they are assisting in the call by helping close nearby roads.
4:33pm update: According to New Mexico State University, the scene near DACC's East Mesa campus has been cleared.
5:12pm update: According to LCPD Detective Carlos Carrillo, “military ordinance” was found in a storage unit, and out of an abundance of caution, Fort Bliss Explosives Ordinance Disposal responded and “rendered the device safe.” Carillo said there’s no immediate danger to the community. Sonoma Ranch Boulevard and surrounding roadways affected by the incident have since reopened.
This is a developing story.