WYTHEVILLE, Va. – The Wytheville Police Department announced Tuesday that it was investigating a bomb threat that was made at Wythe County Community Hospital Tuesday morning. Officials say the suspect has been tracked to Los Angeles.
According to officials, on Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. the department responded to the report of a bomb threat at the hospital.
Recommended Videos
Upon receiving the report, the hospital was immediately placed under lockdown as law enforcement established a secure perimeter.
Following a thorough search of the building and grounds, no explosive devices were located. The lockdown was officially lifted just before 1:00 p.m. after the facility was deemed safe.
“Hoax calls like this use up valuable resources, including law enforcement, fire, and emergency services, while delaying responses to actual emergencies and costing taxpayers thousands of dollars,” said Deputy Chief Bryan Bard. “The Wytheville Police Department takes these threats with the utmost seriousness. This remains an active investigation involving multiple agencies across the country.”
Officials said that Wythe County Emergency Communications began an immediate investigation into the origin of the call and successfully tracked the caller’s location to Los Angeles, California.
The investigation is ongoing and 10 News will continue to update this story as information becomes available.