Bomb squad probes suspicious items near Hollywood venue for Oscars

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad cordoned off a shopping strip a short distance from the Hollywood venue for the upcoming Oscars show where a man emerged from his car with a propane tank after driving recklessly in the area, police said.

The man told police who stopped him that he also had two canisters of nitrous oxide, a non-flammable gas also known as "laughing gas," and was detained while the bomb squad was called to investigate the situation. Police on the scene said bomb disposal technicians have detonated the items in question.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)