Police took five juveniles into custody after they allegedly passed around notes that triggered a bomb threat at McComb’s Walmart Thursday evening, leading to the evacuation of the store, which had to close for the rest of the night.
“McComb got a report of a group of juveniles walking around handing out notes saying that they had shooters surrounding the building, they had 15 seconds to get out and that they had a bomb,” Sheriff Wally Jones said.
McComb Chief Investigator David Cullom said police managed to track down the juveniles believed to be involved and took them into custody not long after the threats were reported.
He said police walked through the building and found no threats. They also brought in K-9 units from the Tangipahoa Parish, La., Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi Highway Patrol to search for explosives.
No explosives were found, Police Chief Earnest Perry said.
“Just a kids prank. That was it,” he said.
He said the group of teens were apparently copycatting a similar incident on a YouTube video.
Perry said the children involved were 13 and were both boys and girls.
“It caused more damage than it did anything as far as anxiety,” he said.
A heavy police response descended on the store, whose parking lot was blocked off throughout the night. Perry said police left the store a little after 11 p.m., its usual closing time.
Although police determined early on that the incident was an apparent hoax, Perry said, “We can’t take an incident for granted.”
He said the children didn’t realize the severity of the situation when police questioned them.
“They didn’t have any ill intent whatsoever,” he said. “They just thought it was a funny prank. They don’t realize a bad decision can impact the rest of their life. They may think it is a harmless prank. The kids don’t understand the severity of it. That could have been a terrorist act.
“They were just babies.”
Perry said 13-year-olds being allowed out at night without supervision is a problem.
“That is extremely young nowadays for kids that young to be out without supervision,” he said. “Parents need to just get control of their children. I’ve got one message to the parents and that is get your children.”
