GRANTS, N.M. – On August 24 the Walmart in Grants, New Mexico, ushered their shoppers and employees out of the store after multiple threats to attack the business led to a false alarm. Out of an abundance of caution the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office, Grants Fire and Rescue, and Grants Police Department teamed up with local agencies to safely evacuate and secure Walmart. The threat was determined to be false, and employees were allowed to reenter the store.
Since the threatening phone calls, no new threats have been made toward Walmart or any other business in the area.
“Walmart in Grants is a very safe place to shop, and we have not received any other threats at this time or in any local store,” GPD Lieutenant Jeff Marez said.
Before the evacuation, three phone calls had been made to the Cibola County Regional Communications Center – also known as the county’s 911 dispatch center. The three phone calls were made by someone with a fe male sounding voice using a blocked number, according to the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office.
As of Sept. 13, there have been no arrests in this incident, and there are actively no persons of interest or suspects, according to Lt. Marez. When the incident occurred, officers scoured the business but were unable to find any weapons or active dangers inside the building.
Grants Police Department is investigating this incident. The Cibola Citizen will continue to follow the investigation.