Police in Saskatoon say a bomb scare Tuesday morning may have originated when a man on drugs panicked after he lifted the hood on his SUV and saw the complex network of wires and cables.

Officers surrounded the SUV in a parking lot at 20th Street W. and Avenue P, across the street from St. Paul's Hospital.

They were called to the scene just after 9 a.m. CST, after a man told police he saw a suspicious object inside his vehicle.

The Saskatoon Police Explosive Disposal Unit prepare to investigate. (Dan Zakreski/CBC)

"We put the robot in and they couldn't find anything, so we think that the person that was the complainant found something inside and there was a bunch of wires and he pulled the wires out," said Supt. Brian Shalovelo.

"We think that this individual may be intoxicated by some drug; we're still investigating."

The situation was complicated by a woman who refused to leave the SUV. Officers eventually got her out by sending in a police dog. Shalovelo said she had outstanding warrants from outside Saskatoon.

Police closed off the area around the SUV for almost three hours before establishing there was no explosive device. Officers are still questioning the driver, while the woman from the SUV is under arrest.