Coop Bomb Scare Linked to Robbery

Firemen evacuated the Harvard Coop and Textbook Annex for half an hour Friday afternoon following a telephoned bomb threat.

Two firetrucks and 15 men arrived at 2:30 p.m. only minutes after a man told the Fire Department that he had planted a bomb somewhere in the Coop. The bomb was to explode at 3 p.m.

Police believe the threat may be linked with the attempted robbery of a vending machine truck parked behind the Coop. The truck contained $200 in coins.

Coop officials emptied the buildings in ten minutes, telling customers and employees only that "everyone must leave by order of the Fire Department." Daniel J. Reagan, Deputy Fire Chief, said that "management handled the evacuation well -- there were no injuries."

No Bomb

Firemen wielding large axes searched both the Coop and Textbook Annex. No bomb was found.

After police had cleared spectators from Palmer Street, which separates the buildings, they discovered the attempt to pry open a door of the vending machine truck.

At 3:05 p.m. the two buildings were declared safe for occupation. Coop employees returned to their positions at cash registers. The store opened its doors to customers again at 3:10 p.m.

Reagan said that his department receives at least 15 bomb threats every year, mostly to public schools. Massachusetts law requires that all building mentioned in such threats be evacuated and searched:

Little Fear

The crowd which gathered on Mass Ave. showed little fear of an explosion. Most spectators believed the bomb threat was a Friday the 13th prank.

Coop Assistant Manager Arthur W. West was more concerned. "We did lose some business," he said. "I wouldn't want this to happen too often."

Only the Pink Pretzel vendor seemed truly happy. For half an hour, pretzels sold like hotcakes.