Excitement at the border

We got a load yesterday hauling stage equipment and backdrops for someone pretty famous, Justin Timberlake. Well that was pretty exciting by itself.

But

This morning at ten minutes before 8:00am we were inside the building at the Border crossing at Champlain. We were just getting our paperwork sorted through and stamped when there was a huge commotion. 

We heard voices over radios and officers began running out the door, including the man that was waiting on us, and everyone else seemed to be hiding in doorways or behind counters. My instinct was to figure out how to get behind the counter. It seemed like a big emergency. Pops was watching out the window.

Then we heard over the radio, "body down, body down. Call 911." We heard several other things too. 

We saw someone outside lying on the ground with officers surrounding him with guns drawn.

We were handed our paperwork and told to go. 

As we were leaving we saw a man with his hands handcuffed behind his back, kneeling on the ground vomiting. And there was an officer leading a German shepherd dog around.

We left quickly.

A little over two hours later, after making our Montreal delivery, we returned to cross back into the US.

The place was swarming with emergency equipment and workers. There were fire trucks, ambulances, hazmat vehicles and lots of tarps laying on the ground all in the same area as where we saw the man down earlier.

When I looked for news on the Internet I found the article below. We are not sure if the incident we saw and the hazmat incident are related.

HazMat incident at Champlain Port of Entry

By Vanessa Misciagna, WNNE Reporter, vmisciagna@hearst.com

Published On: Jun 15 2013 09:00:53 AM 

CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. -

Fire officials confirm a HazMat incident is underway at the Champlain Port of Entry. 

Champlain Fire Department officials say multiple crews from the surrounding area have responded to the scene this morning. 

Responders from Rouses Point, Champlain, Mooers, Chazy and Alburgh, Vermont are present. 

Clinton County Dispatch has confirmed that six people have been transported to the hospital. 

Officials cannot say yet what caused the incident.