LOCAL : Bomb Threat Snarls Commute in Van Nuys

Several buildings were evacuated and a major Van Nuys intersection was closed this morning after a bomb threat, apparently directed at a church, was telephoned to police, authorities said.

Police said the caller claimed that a bomb was in a brown Datsun parked near the Church on the Way, 14300 Sherman Way. Nearby buildings were evacuated about 9 a.m. and Sherman Way was closed between Van Nuys Boulevard and Hazeltine Avenue. The evacuated area included the Sherman Way and Lennox Avenue intersection where the church is situated.

Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad members and the Criminal Conspiracy Unit were called to the scene after a car matching the description was found parked near the church. Spray-painted on the sides of the car were the words “Hot” and “The End.” On the trunk of the car was painted, “LAPD Capt. VVAL only,” possibly a reference to an officer who is a member of the church, Detective Bob Muldrew said.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were used to approach the car but gave no indication of an explosive device inside. Later, bomb experts detonated small charges inside the car, but no larger explosion was triggered. The car was searched and no explosives were found, police said.

The bomb threat caused severe traffic congestion in the largely commercial area near Sherman Way and Van Nuys Boulevard, two heavily traveled roads during the morning commute, police said.

A spokesman for the Church on the Way, which espouses charismatic beliefs, declined to comment on the incident. Muldrew said the motive for the threat was not known.