Bomb Scare at Sharks-Golden Knights Game

There was a bomb scare in the SAP Center parking lot during the San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights game tonight.

“At approximately 7:15 PM we were alerted by SAP Center staff that one of their privately contracted explosive detection K-9’s alerted on a locker located outside of the arena,” the city of San Jose said in a statement at about 10 PM. “At this time our bomb technicians are on scene investigating. Currently it is unknown what the contents of the locker are. There is no threat to public safety at this time. We will provide an update when we can.”

The lockers are located by parking Lot B, at the top of the stairs, where W. St John St. meets N. Montgomery St.

You can see the police car flashing outside the SAP Center parking lot right now: Can't leave yet because my car is parked close to something suspicious. Game ended two hours ago pic.twitter.com/kf6DSj7Kik

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 21, 2022

At approximately 7:15 PM, the San Jose Sharks were in the third period of an eventual 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. But three hours later, about 100 Sharks and Golden Knights fans who parked near the lockers, including this writer, were still stranded in the Club level of SAP Center, waiting out the investigation.

San Jose Sharks fan Matt Dzida left SAP Center right after the game — the game ended a little before 8 PM — but he was stopped before the stairs going up to the parking lot.

“We were just kind of waiting by the barricade,” Dzida told San Jose Hockey Now. “Then [one of us] walked up the steps. Someone in a full bomb squad suit walked by, told the person to come back.”

According to Dzida, San Jose Sharks fans waited for an hour outside of SAP Center, during a chilly San Jose night, before they were invited back inside the arena at about 9 PM to wait it out.

At 10:30, we finally received an all-clear to leave the arena.

“All clear at SAP Center,” a city of San Jose spokesman just told SJHN, “nothing suspicious located in the locker.”

This was the locker that caused all of the commotion. Dogs smelled something suspicious, so police shut down the area. But, nothing exploded, so that’s good pic.twitter.com/mIzYIg0EXE

— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) February 21, 2022