Explosives Found, Arco Tower Emptied : Weapons Found in Arco Tower, 3 Levels Emptied

A large arsenal of weapons and explosives was found today in one of the 52-story twin towers at Arco Plaza in downtown Los Angeles and the three underground levels of the building were evacuated, police said.

The evacuation at the landmark building at 505 S. Flower St. began shortly before 1 p.m. and all traffic was rerouted, police said.

Police officer Margie Reid said the precise amount of the explosives found and the number of evacuees was not immediately known.

The discovery was made by Criminal Conspiracy Section detectives who were serving a search warrant.

Preliminary information from the scene indicated the cache included a considerable amount of TNT, police said.

Last month, the Arco Plaza was sold by owners Atlantic Richfield Corp. and Bank of America to Shuwa Investments Corp., a Japanese investment firm, for $620 million in cash, believed to be the largest cash payment ever for a commercial property in the United States.

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Cmdr. William Booth confirmed a major evacuation was in progress.

All surrounding streets and the nearby Harbor Freeway were being closed, creating a massive downtown traffic jam.

All radio transmission in the area was banned during the major emergency alert. A command post was established at 5th and Flower streets.

It was not immediately known what reason the detectives gave in securing the search warrant, or what specific location in the twin towers--among the city’s tallest buildings--they had targeted in the investigation.