BEAUMONT — Some residents in a north Beaumont neighborhood were told by to find another place to stay Thursday night as Beaumont Police officers and federal agents conducted what they would only describe as an "ongoing law enforcement operation."
Beaumont officers as well as agents with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began conducting operations at a duplex on El Paso Avenue near Fillmore Street after 5 p.m. Thursday.
Police, agents from FBI, ATF converge on home in north end of Beaumont Thursday evening
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Officers and agents could be seen going in and out of the duplex on El Paso Avenue throughout the evening.
Officers with dogs could also be seen walking up and down the street.
Police say that a news conference on the operation will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the U.S. Attorney's office in Beaumont.
Residents in the neighborhood told 12News that they saw at least two people who appeared to have been arrested and transported from the scene by officers shortly after the "operation" began.
Some residents also told 12News that they had noticed strange things at the home where police were working and had problems in the past with the residents there.
Police did not release much information but told 12News that it was going to be a long night.
It is unknown if the law enforcement activity Thursday night was related to either of two recent incidents in Beaumont where a package bomb detonated at a church and a device was found and disarmed at a Starbucks.
Agents with the FBI and the ATF have been investigating the package bomb that exploded at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Delaware Street on May 10, 2018 and a device that was found at the Starbucks on Dowlen Road on May 3, 2018.
The device at Starbucks did not detonate and was rendered safe but police say that had it gone off as intended it could have injured someone.
Beaumont officers assisted by FBI and ATF agents have responded to multiple calls about suspicious packages since then but all have proven to be false alarms.
Beaumont Police say they will investigate every report and have requested that residents "say something if they see something."
This is a developing story. We will update with more as soon as we receive confirmed information.