Toronto Police Service detonated a suspicious package outside of a Raptors game on Friday night that was later found to be a plastic replica grenade.
Police spokeswoman Katrina Arrogante said police received a call about the suspicious package at one of the ACC’s entrances just before 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
She said officers, paramedics, firefighters and members of the force’s chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear explosives team arrived at the scene.
Sgt. Stephen Sadler told reporters at the scene that police detonated the plastic grenade "out of an abundance of caution."
Maple Leaf Square, the open area west of Air Canada Centre where fans typically congregate during playoff games for the Raptors and Maple Leafs, was closed to traffic after the controlled explosion, but has since been reopened.
The Raptors tweeted prior to the game against the Dallas Mavericks that Gates 5 and 6 of the Air Canada Centre were closed "as a precaution until further notice as police investigate a suspicious package near York Street."
The Air Canada Centre has been sold out for 170 consecutive Raptors games.
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