Toronto police barricaded the usually busy College St. between Yonge and Bay Sts. for about three hours Wednesday evening after a man reportedly brought a pipe bomb to police headquarters and asked police to dispose of it.

The Toronto Police Operations Twitter account tweeted at 6:16 p.m. that police headquarters, at 40 College St., would be closed along with the surrounding area until the situation was safe.

The bomb wasn’t brought into the building, police said, and the bomb squad came to the scene, along with two firetrucks and a dozen firefighters, along with an ambulance. The scene appeared calm and quiet.

Police could not confirm whether other buildings on the block had been evacuated, but the College subway station was open and a security guard led people through the entrance at Yonge and College Sts.

A restaurant across the street, W Burger Bar, remained open behind the barricades, though its clientele was reduced to four tables, according to manager Alexandra Schindel.

"Our regulars are coming and they're turning them away," she said in the cordoned-off alley next to the restaurant as she updated its owner via text message. "This would have been a big night for us — it's the first night of hockey, half-priced wings."

Police reopened College St. around 9 p.m.

Staff Sgt. Robert Brown said after the incident that the man brought the bomb at 6 p.m., but that he didn’t know how the man had come to possess it.

He said people have attempted to dispose of dangerous items and weapons at police stations before. Instead, they should leave the item where found and call police immediately, he explained.

“Sometimes people don’t understand the gravity of the situation, that it could be dangerous.”