Man taken into custody after prank 911 call leads to gunman scare at Walmart

Police responding to a gunman scare at the south Logan Walmart. 

LOGAN — A prank 911 call saying there was a gunman at the south Logan Walmart caused a scare among customers and prompted police to temporarily lock down the store and other surrounding businesses.

Logan City Police Chief Gary Jensen said dispatch operators received a call Thursday afternoon at 1:44 p.m. The caller said there was a “man with a gun, yelling he was going to shoot” inside the store.

The call prompted a huge response from local law enforcement who arrived on scene carrying assault weapons. Officers found that no one in the store reported seeing the gunman and they quickly learned that the threat was unsubstantiated.

Jensen said investigators later determined the call came from a man who was being pulled over at the time for a traffic stop. It is believed the man made the call to lure the officer to the more important public safety incident and avoid being arrested.

Officers then responded to the suspect’s residence. He initially barricaded himself inside a room of the home and refused to speak with officers. He later surrendered and was taken into custody.

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