Authorities evacuated a shelter on Myrtle Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant after someone found what appeared to be a homemade explosive device inside a locker.

Police say they've taken the locker's owner into custody, but the bomb squad has determined that the device was not an actual explosive.

It's not clear whether the man in custody will face charges.

A witness who lives at the shelter says another resident tried to bring the apparent pipe bomb into his room after sneaking it through security. Staff members were alerted and called police, the witness says.

Myrtle Avenue was closed between the intersections of Lewis and Throop avenues as police investigated.