A Tuesday afternoon bomb threat shut Kmart in Scotts Valley for more than 1 ½ hours today in what may be part of a string of bomb threats to Kmart stores nationwide.
The threat, according to Scotts Valley Police Lt. John Wilson, was phoned into the store at about 2 p.m. Employees instructed shoppers to leave the store, and the parking lot was cordoned off with caution tape while police arrived and began to investigate. Nearby businesses remained open in the shopping center.
After an hour investigation, police along with the store manager, emerged without discovering anything out of the ordinary.
“Part of their protocol is to evacuate the store,” Wilson said. “There were no mandatory evacuations for the other businesses (in the shopping center).”
Kmart stores nationwide have been struck by a string of bomb threats this week as media around the nation have reported calls to multiple stores in Chicago, Arizona, Michigan, Connecticut over the past three days. Two calls in Arizona were reportedly made this afternoon according to the Nogalas International newspaper in Nogalas, Ariz.
According to police, the call to theScottsValleystore had no specific details, butWilsondeclined to elaborate any further, citing an ongoing investigation into the nature of the call.
Kmart’s store manager was unavailable for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
The store re-opened at around 3:30 p.m.
