Eugene police on Friday afternoon detonated a suspicious item that was found in a downtown mailbox.

The midafternoon incident occurred after emergency personnel were called to a mailbox outside the Forum Building at 777 High St. Eugene police shut down several downtown streets after the suspicious item was found.

No one was injured in the detonation, but it sent debris flying into the middle of High Street, near Whole Foods Market.

Eugene police Sgt. Mike Ware said the item found was a �hoax device� that contained bits of a flashlight and wires, wrapped to make it look like a bomb.

Ware declined to provide other details about the item�s appearance.

Neither a motive nor a suspect was known.

A U.S. Postal Service employee discovered the item about 2 p.m. during mail collection. Believing it was suspicious, he placed the item in a plastic mail bin, set it on the sidewalk and called police.

As the bomb squad investigated, police shut down High Street between East Seventh and East Eighth avenues.

An officer approached the item to X-ray it, then backed away and called for more officers.

The scene was one block from Lane County Circuit Court and the Lane County Public Service Building, which houses county government and the sheriff�s office. N earby streets also were closed for a short time.

The item was detonated by 3:10 p.m., and streets were reopened to traffic.