Atlanta City Hall on Mitchell Street was evacuated Friday and a police bomb squad was called in to investigate a suspicious package in a courtyard of the government complex.

The package was a backpack tied to a tree, according to police spokesman Sgt. Curtis Davenport.

"After detonating the package, it was determined to contain toiletries and clothing," Davenport said.

The spokesman said all streets within a two-block radius of City Hall were closed, but they have been reopened. The streets affected included Mitchell and Washington streets, Trinity and Central avenues, and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

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Peggy Harris (foreground) stocks the shelves at Sandy's IGA, which is the only grocery store in town, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Sparta. Hancock County has one of the highest rates of childhood food insecurity in the country. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC