Edina police said Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. that there was a large police presence in the 3300 block of 66th Street West and warned people to avoid the area until further notice. The response spread quickly around Southdale Center, where several nearby buildings were locked down and traffic was being diverted away from the scene.
Police asked Southdale Center to go into lockdown temporarily, and the mall lockdown was later lifted. M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital also locked down, while other nearby buildings took similar precautions as multiple law enforcement agencies, including officers from Edina, Eden Prairie and St. Louis Park, moved in alongside SWAT teams and K-9 units searching around the buildings.
The heavy response near West 66th Street and York Avenue South showed how seriously officers were treating the active incident, but police had not released more details by the time of publication. The State Patrol was detouring traffic from the area, and the public warning remained simple: stay away until police say the scene is clear.
