Incident that caused evacuations at Metrotown believed to be 'unfounded,' police say

Police have cleared Metropolis at Metrotown and the nearby SkyTrain station in Burnaby after the area was evacuated Friday afternoon due to a police incident. 

The Burnaby RCMP says it performed a grid search of the mall after reports that shots were fired. 

"The threat that caused the evacuation today is believed to be unfounded," it said in a tweet around 6:30 p.m. 

WATCH | Hundreds pour out of the mall as police incident unfolds at Metrotown:

SkyTrain was also closed Friday afternoon after someone phoned police with an unfounded tip.

"Earlier this afternoon, we received a call from someone stating that they saw what was believed to be, what was described as, a pipe bomb," said Const. Mike Yake, a spokesperson with Metro Vancouver Transit Police, as the evacuation was unfolding.

As a precaution, he said the area was evacuated and explosive-detecting dogs were deployed to assist in the investigation.