Investigation Closes Ventura Boulevard

Police searching a motel for a methamphetamine lab closed a stretch of Ventura Boulevard for more than four hours Thursday night after coming across a “substantial” amount of black powder in a motel room, officials said.

Investigators, who had been searching in the area since Thursday morning, came across the black powder Thursday afternoon at a motel in the 22620 block of Ventura Boulevard, said Los Angeles Police Officer Jason Lee.

LAPD bomb squad detectives tried to determine the origin of the powder and evacuated dozens of people in the neighborhood as a safety measure, Lee said.

“Narcotics officers were conducting an investigation about a possible meth lab,” Lee said. “It could take some time before we determine what the black powder is. It could be anything.”

Investigators detained one man for questioning, Lee said.