Boston Marathon Finish Line Evacuated Due To Unattended Backpacks

The area near the finish line of the Boston Marathon was evacuated Tuesday night due to unattended backpacks left in the street, TV station WBZ reports.

A man yelling "Boston Strong" and carrying a backpack was seen running in the area by WBZ photographers moments before police cleared Boylston Street on the anniversary of last year's bombing.

A suspect was in custody, according to the Boston Police Department.

The department's bomb squad was sent to the scene to investigate two unattended backpacks, the department said in a tweet. The police also asked pedestrians and motorists to "avoid the area in and around the Boston Marathon Finish Line."

The suspicious bags were detonated in controlled explosions by the bomb squad, according to ABC News. The news organization later reported that no explosives were found, although there was a rice cooker in a bag.

A dark bag is seen in the middle of a rainswept street in a photo tweeted by WHDH-TV anchor Ryan Schulteis.

A WCVB reporter tweeted that police collected a pair of shoes from Copley Square as evidence.

Last year, three people were killed and more than 260 were injured when two pressure cooker bombs were detonated at the crowded finish line of the race.

This year's marathon is scheduled for April 21.

This story has been updated as the situation unfolds.

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