Officials testing substance that caused evacuation of Dinkytown apartment

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hundreds of people were evacuated from The Marshall apartment complex in Dinkytown Tuesday afternoon after Minneapolis police and fire officials received a report of a possible deadly poison inside one of the apartments.

According to Minneapolis police, around 4 p.m., officials responded to a report of a medical situation possibly caused by a hazardous material in an apartment on the 500 block of 14th Avenue Southeast. First responders learned the victim was transported to the hospital privately before crews arrived. 

Police said the person who was at the hospital "gave information as to the chemicals involved and the location of the substance." 

Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner told FOX 9 they were investigating an "unconfirmed report of ricin" in one of the apartments. 

The building was evacuated and crews isolated the affected area. 

"It was really chaotic everyone was confused and no one knew what was going on and the fire fighters were like move, move," Faith Schug, a University of Minnesota who lives in the building, said. 

A HazMat team entered the apartment and neutralized the area, secured the substance and transported it to the Minnesota Health Laboratory where the substance will be formally identified.  

Police said the area of possible contamination is likely limited to the one apartment.

Residents of the building, mostly University of Minnesota students, were allowed back in shortly after 9 p.m. 

Police have secured the apartment where the substance was found and an officer will remain on the scene all night. 

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.