Aurora police investigating after bomb threat made at local grocery store
Aurora police are investigating after a false bomb threat was called in at a local King Soopers, prompting an evacuation and temporary shelter-in-place order.
According to the Aurora Police Department, they received a 911 call around 3:15 p.m. about a bomb threat at the King Soopers located at 3050 South Peoria St. Someone reportedly called the King Soopers, stating there were approximately five bombs potentially located outside of the store.
Authorities said the store was evacuated within minutes and the parking lot was cleared. Police also issued a shelter-in-place order for the block surrounding the King Soopers store that included other stores and an apartment building nearby.
The APD asked others to avoid the area in a Twitter post stating, "Please stay off the streets for your safety."
Police requested support from explosive detection K-9s and the Arapaho County Bomb Squad to sweep the area.
An employee in the shopping center, Eric Do, told CBS Colorado they didn't realize there was a bomb threat at first. Do said that when officers arrived with bomb dogs around 3:30 - 4 p.m., they gave the staff a chance to leave and estimated the investigation should be wrapped up within two to three hours.
"Our deliveries, we had to pause everything because no one can get in or out of the plaza right now," said Do.
Authorities said no suspicious devices were found inside the store or in the surrounding area. The APD has lifted the shelter-in-place order and turned the King Soopers back over to store management.
APD Public Information Officer Carrigan Bennett said there will be a follow-up investigation and asked the public to report anything suspicious to the police. "We would ask people to be vigilant and if you see something say something so that we can respond appropriately."
