Suspicious package injures Orange County Sheriff's deputy, two others

SANTA ANA, Calif. (FOX 11) - Four people, including an Orange County Sheriff's deputy, were injured Thursday afternoon after a suspicious package was opened at the Central Justice Center courthouse in Santa Ana.

The package was opened near one of the third-floor courtrooms at about 2:30 p.m. prompting a hazardous materials alert and bomb squad investigation.

Two of the four people exposed to the contents of the package were hospitalized and the other two were released after paramedics treated them The victims taken to the hospital included the deputy and a woman who worked in the courtroom.

Police roped off a portion of the third floor while the bomb squad and hazardous materials inspected the package. The courthouse did not need to be evacuated.

The contents of the box were taken to an Orange County Sheriff's Department laboratory to be tested, according to authorities.

Investigators are working to determine if the box was mailed in or left at the courthouse.

CNS contributed to this report