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Early-morning SWAT training awakens concerned Port St. Lucie residents

Posted at 6:32 AM, Jan 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-17 19:12:56-05

Some concerned Port St. Lucie residents said they woke up Wednesday morning to explosions.

Police tell WPTV that a SWAT team was doing training in the city, which caused the ruckus.  No one was in danger.

The State Department of Transportation contacted Port St. Lucie Police about a building it planned to tear down at the Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie Turnpike Service Plaza.

Police say the building was perfect for practicing explosive breaching on steel doors.

It's a technique that was used when officers responded to the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

A spokesperson for the Port St. Lucie Police Department said the SWAT team has a long training day ahead, so they started before sunrise.

Police said they also didn't want to interrupt traffic during rush hour.

One resident, who said they live on Cameo Boulevard, posted on social media that they heard a loud boom around 4 a.m., while some heard blasts north of Crosstown Parkway.

Video posted to the SLC Scanner Facebook page showed a heavy presence on the corner of Bayshore Boulevard and Crosstown Parkway around 5 a.m. with the road blocked off.