A Missouri man has been arrested for allegedly making a hoax bomb threat so his friends could skip work.
Nineteen-year-old Zachariah Peterson has been charged with making terroristic threats after he allegedly made a swatting call on 18 July that prompted a Ford Assembly Plan in Kansas City to be evacuated, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Mr Peterson allegedly threatened he was armed with an AK-47 rifle and C-4 explosives strapped to his chest. Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said that the suspect had allegedly made the call from a phone app so his friend could get out of work, The Courier-Tribune reported.
The man on the line also claimed to be a disgruntled employee and reportedly said that he was barricaded in a second-floor bathroom. More than 2,000 employees were evacuated as police assessed the situation for several hours.
“When someone makes a call like that, they pull law enforcement officers away from their duties keeping our communities safe,” Mr Thompson said during a press conference on Wednesday. “This type of crime also endangers workers who are only trying to do their job and can cause severe emotional tolls on those forced to evacuate. It also has severe financial implications for local businesses.”
Mr Thompson commended law enforcement officers for “heroically entering the building” when they thought there was someone armed with weapons and explosives inside.
“It’s unfortunate that one person was able to do so much damage in one case,” Mr Thompson added.
Nineteen-year-old Zachariah Peterson has been charged with making terroristic threats— (CCSO)
More than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the scene, according to The Kansas City Star.
Mr Peterson reportedly told police that he had learned about C-4 explosives while playing the Call of Duty video game.
“This hoax created a huge strain on law enforcement — not to mention the financial loss that Ford suffered from shutting down production,” Clay County Sheriff Will Akin also said on Wednesday.
