UPDATE: Family Services building evacuated in response to threat

People working in a three-story Valencia office building Friday were evacuated when Los Angeles County Family Services, a tenant in the building, received a threat. Katharine Lotze/The Signal
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A three-story Valencia office building was evacuated for more than 90 minutes Friday afternoon after the Los Angeles County Family Services building received a threat.

Employees of the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services working in an office on Avenue Stanford near Vanderbilt Way were asked by a security officer to leave the building about 1:30 p.m. Friday, Lt. James Duran of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station told The Signal.

Between 80 and 100 people who work in the building, including DCFS workers, left the building as instructed and milled about outside as deputies arrived.

“An off-site security officer received a threat to the building and that security company asked people to leave the building,” Duran said.

No details about the threat were disclosed.

Deputies were dispatched to the building once they received word of the evacuation, Duran said.

When they arrived, they roped off the building with police tape and began investigating.

Shortly after 2 p.m., deputies conducted a “walk through” of the building which houses companies other than the DCFS office.

“There is no credible threat at this time,” said Neil Zanville, spokesman for the DCFS, shortly after 2 p.m.. “Deputies are doing a walk through right now.”

“There was a threat made anonymously,” Zanville said.

At 3:07 p.m., county officials received the “all clear” for employees to return to the building, from deputies who had conducted the search, he said.

Asked if the threat-maker was responding to a custody decision made by DCFS workers, Zanville said: “There was no reference made to any case.”

There was no report of injury or damage.

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