A "suspicious" package that prompted Atlanta police to shut down a stretch of Peachtree Street in Midtown during the height of Monday's morning commute turned out to be an empty box.

The box, which was about the size of a shoe box, was found around 7:45 a.m. outside a Starbucks coffee shop at Peachtree and 7th Streets.

Police evacuated the Starbucks and shut down Peachtree in both directions, as well as 7th Street.

The Atlanta police Bomb Squad examined the package about 9:30 a.m. and found that it was empty, according to police spokeswoman Kim Jones. The roads were reopened shortly before 10 a.m.

"We have to take all necessary precautions in the event that the package is a real threat," Atlanta fire Capt. Jolyon Bundrige said.

Return to ajc.com for details.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

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