Empire Center Walmart evacuated in bomb-threat mix-up

The Empire Center Walmart was briefly evacuated on Feb. 26 after a bomb threat authorities say was meant for a location in Louisiana.

By Andy Nguyen

Feb. 26, 2020 2:56 PM PT

Shoppers and employees at the Empire Center Walmart were evacuated Wednesday morning in what Burbank police are saying was a mix-up with a store in Louisiana.

The big-box chain’s corporate offices reportedly received a threatening phone call believed to have been targeting the West Coast store.

However, Burbank Police Sgt. Derek Green said that was not the case.

“It was actually targeting a Walmart store in Baton Rouge, La., located on Burbank Drive,” he said in a statement.

Green went on to say the person believed to have been behind the threatening call was taken into custody by local authorities.

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Andy Nguyen

Andy Nguyen was the public safety reporter for the Burbank Leader and Glendale News-Press. He previously worked for the Thousand Oaks Acorn and the Orange County Register. A native of Orange County, he attended UC Berkeley, where he wrote for the Daily Californian and graduated with a degree in media studies.