Bomb Threat Caller Demands Sam's Club Gift Cards
WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- A bomb threat at a Sam's Club in Washington, Pa., forced shoppers out into the parking lot, and it wasn't the only Sam's Club store threatened with a bomb Sunday.
Sunday afternoons are a busy time for big box stores like Sam's Clubs, but this Sunday, business came to a screeching halt at the store in Washington County because of a threatening phone call.
The parking lot was empty Sunday afternoon because the store was closed for the day, but earlier, the parking lot was filled with shoppers and employees.
The bomb threat happened just after 2 p.m., but it wasn't your typical threat.
The unidentified person wanted money put on Sam's Club gift cards or else.
Walmart, which owns and operates Sam's Club, says it puts the safety of its employees and shoppers above everything, so they immediately contacted local police.
The company issued the following statement:
"This was a hoax that unsuccessfully attempted to extort money from our club through a gift card scam. We will provide any information we have to police in hopes they can identify the person or persons responsible. We also encourage anyone with information about this to contact law enforcement."
The store reopened for business a few hours later.
But it turns out the Washington County store wasn't the only one to receive a bomb threat Sunday.
Authorities in the eastern part of the state had a similar incident at a Sam's Club, and there was a third report of a similar situation in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
No comment from the company on how or if these three cases are related.
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