Salt Lake City Capitol building evacuated after man abandons unloaded rifle

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The man walked into the state Capitol building in Salt Lake City yesterday
Police observed the man's 'bizarre' actions as he left down his package
Officers called in the bomb squad who investigated the suspect package
The unnamed man wrote a note which he attached to the box and wreath

Published: 23:06 EST, 15 October 2015 | Updated: 09:40 EST, 16 October 2015

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Police evacuated the state Capitol building in Salt Lake City after a man left an unloaded semi-automatic rifle inside a cardboard box with a wreath.

The man was spotted leaving the package in the middle of a circle underneath the building's rotunda.

According to police, the man was in his mid-20s and was wearing a suit and a tie.

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Police in Salt Lake City want to speak to this man who left an unloaded rifle in the state Capitol building

The man made his escape in this white SUV which local police wish to trace to speak to the driver

The Salt Lake City building was evacuated shortly after Capitol security officers watching surveillance cameras spotted the man leaving the package Thursday afternoon, state Highway Patrol Trooper Lawrence Hopper said.

The man knelt next to the package for a moment and then got up and left the building. He drove off in a white SUV he had parked outside.

Hopper said Utah Highway Patrol troopers, who provide security for the Capitol, did not reach the man before he left.

The building was evacuated immediately after, but Hopper did not have details about how many people were there at the time.

Governor Gary Herbert was not in the building at the time of the incident.

A bomb squad inspected the package and determined a few hours later that it wasn't an explosive.

The rifle was a semiautomatic rifle but Hopper did not have details about it.

The box was oblong and triangular and had a note written on it, Hopper said.

Citing the ongoing investigation, he declined to disclose what the note said or whether officials consider it a threat.

Hopper said they have a person of interest in the case who may help them understand the situation but Hopper wouldn't call the person a suspect.

While Utah law allows someone to carry a gun into the Capitol, Hopper didn't know if the man's actions would be considered a crime.

He said prosecutors would make that call.

He declined to say whether officials know what the man's motive may have been but said no one spoke to him for the few minutes he was in the Capitol.

Hopper admitted: 'It's bizarre.'

He said officials believe it was an isolated incident and there is no threat to public safety.

Captain Barton Blair of the Utah Highway Patrol told Fox 13: 'It appeared to us that he knelt down by the package, and offered a silent prayer and was saying some words and got up and left.'

Commissioner Keith Squires of the Utah Department of Public Safety said an investigation into the incident was underway: 'We want to find out what his issues are, what his motivations were, and why he did this.

'There was some writing on top of the package. But that’s being used right now to try to determine what’s taking place and who might be involved.'