Walmart in Michigan City was evacuated Tuesday after a 13-year-old from Florida called in a false bomb threat.
Police say on Tuesday at approximately 10:50 a.m. the LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an employee of the Walmart stating that an unknown person just called the store and indicated a bomb had been placed inside. The store was immediately evacuated.
Due to the nature of the call, numerous officers, SWAT and the Investigative
Division responded to the store as well as the Michigan City Fire Department and LaPorte County EMS. A thorough search of the store was conducted, and no explosive device was found. The call was determined to be a prank. The Investigative Division took over the scene with Det./Cpl. Mark Galetti being assigned as the lead Detective.
Det./Cpl. Galetti and the entire Investigative Division worked throughout the remainder of the morning and into the afternoon to determine who was responsible for calling the store and claiming a bomb had been placed inside. Through their diligence it was determined the caller was a 13-year-old male who resides in Sarasota, Florida. Law Enforcement officials in Sarasota were contacted and the investigation is currently ongoing with Sarasota assisting the MCPD Detectives. It has also been determined this same suspect has made similar false calls to businesses in other area jurisdictions recently.
“Chief Steve Forker and his Administrative Team wish to thank the Walmart staff for their actions and professionalism during this unfortunate incident, MCPD said in a press release. “Further, they lauded the actions of all the First Responders on scene and the Investigators currently working to bring this case to conclusion.”
Anyone with information about this case is asked to please contact Cpl. Galetti at (219) 874-3221 Ext. 1090 or by email at mgaletti@emichigancity.com.