A Winnipeg police bomb unit robot detonated a suspicious package found in a car on Portage Avenue.

The package was found after emergency crews attended to a two-vehicle crash — between an SUV and car — at Portage and Strathcona Street around 7 a.m. Monday.

Two men, aged 47 and 39, were sent to hospital in stable condition as a result of the crash, including one who was taken out on a backboard for precaution.

The Winnipeg police bomb-detonating robot is unloaded near an investigation scene at Portage and Strathcona on Monday. (Meaghan Ketcheson/CBC)

Police said the car had been speeding westbound on Portage when it hit the SUV that was turning from Strathcona.

During the investigation a package with contents that resembled a pipe bomb was found inside the car, driven by the 39-year-old man.

That prompted police to set up a wide perimeter around the scene, completely shutting down a section of Portage Avenue and keeping vehicles and pedestrians away.

After the detonation, which happened just before 10 a.m., members of the bomb unit moved in to investigate the package.

It turns out the package was not a bomb but may have been a toy that greatly resembled one, police said.

The man is not facing any charges beyond traffic offences.

Street closures in the area were removed just before 11 a.m., allowing traffic to pass through again.

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