PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating a “suspicious” package dropped at a Santan Valley post office by someone claiming it was a bomb.

Around 10 a.m., a 911 call came in about a strange package left at a third-party post office near Hunt Highway and Gary Road. Surrounding stores including Home Depot, Panda Express, Dunkin Donuts and Skyline Dental were evacuated as a precaution.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety's bomb squad was called to assist in the investigation.

PCSO said residents should avoid the area for now.

The suspect who dropped the item is described as a white male with a thin build, wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt and sunglasses.

How large is Maricopa County?

According to the 2020 Census, Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States with a population of 4,485,414 people.

This county contains approximately 63% of Arizona's population and covers an area of ​​9,224 square miles. This makes the county larger than her seven states in the United States: Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

One of the largest park systems in the United States is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks, including hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers, and campgrounds.

The county seat is Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the fifth most populous city in the United States according to the census.

The county is named after the Maricopa or Piipaash Native American tribe.