Walmart bomb threat proven false

A cryptic message sent to a shopper on Monday, warning that her car would explode outside the Los Banos Walmart, was determined to be false after police and bomb squad units investigated.

Los Banos police announced in a statement that they responded to a report at 9:28 a.m. in the 1500 block of Pacheco Boulevard, the Walmart shopping complex.

Police Cmdr. Ray Reyna said rumors that circulated on social media falsely reported a body at the scene.

“No, there was no dead body,” Reyna said.

Reyna said a woman at the shopping center Monday morning “received a strange message on her phone.” The message stated that the woman’s car was going to explode, so she called 9-1-1.

As a precaution, police cordoned off the area and notified the Merced Bomb Squad, Reyna said.

During the investigation, which included cooperation from Walmart employees and security camera footage, it was determined that no one had tampered with the woman’s vehicle.

The number from which the message was sent was not traceable, Reyna said.

Reyna said he couldn’t estimate the cost of the response Monday. He noted, however, the bomb squad included officers from Merced, and there also was an economic cost for business Walmart may have lost during the investigation.

“It took up a lot of our time,” Reyna said.

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Walmart bomb threat proven false."