The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said early Wednesday morning that a threat made at the Ford Kansas City Assembly plant in Claycomo, Missouri, was not credible, and one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. The search inside the plant lasted several hours and concluded around 2 a.m. The situation began at around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday when a phone call came into Ford’s safety and risk management team. A man on the line claimed to be armed with explosives, a rifle and a handgun. He told them he was barricaded in the second-floor bathroom in the paint area of the plant and that he was disgruntled with his job.Ford shut down production, and employees inside the plant evacuated, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. There were no reports of gunshots or injuries. Sarah Boyd, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said authorities treated it like a “real threat.” “We are going to treat this as a real and active threat,” she said. The sheriff’s office made the decision to evacuate the plant. “We don’t have confirmation anyone is in there, but we will treat it like there is,” she said. “Our next step is make entry into this building.”Several agencies joined search at Ford plant in ClaycomoThe search continued at the massive facility as the clock hit midnight on Wednesday morning. Joining the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Claycomo Police Department were local agencies, along with the FBI. About a dozen officers were originally on the scene, and additional units were called in. At around 10:15 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said they had not located anyone on their initial search of the area where the suspect claimed to be barricaded. Employees were told to evacuate the sceneMost employees told KMBC’s Peyton Headlee they had just started their shift. Some employees said there wasn’t a clear message about what was going on — they heard a rumor, and employees started leaving the plant. Other employees said they were told there was an active shooter and they needed to leave the plant. Employees said it was a scary situation, and a lot of details are missing. The UAW put out a brief statement on the matter. “The UAW is closely monitoring a possible active shooter situation at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant,” the union said. “We stand with our UAW family at KCAP and will continue fighting for a safe workplace for all.”Sheriff’s office believed call may have been “swatting”The sheriff’s office said the caller provided a name that did not belong to an actual employee at the plant. The caller named the supervisor, but authorities have not made contact with the person. The possibility of the situation being a swatting call was not ruled out as part of the investigation by the sheriff’s office. “Our Special Tactics and Response Team is entering the plant to find the source of the threat,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Tuesday night. “It is possible this is a swatting call, but we will treat the threat as real until we can prove otherwise. Our negotiators are on scene, as well, and have been unable to make contact.”Early Wednesday morning, after authorities announced the call was a hoax, law enforcement agencies addressed the severity of “swatting” calls. “This hoax created a huge strain on law enforcement,” Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said in a news conference Wednesday morning. An official with the FBI said swatting calls are criminal events that can have very real consequences.”Making false claims takes away from our actual jobs and our resources to take care of actual incidents,” the spokesperson said. Arrest made in threatClay County Sheriff Will Akin announced in Wednesday morning’s news conference that one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. Clay County deputies, Kansas City and Claycomo Police, and the FBI are working with prosecutors to consider appropriate charges in this case.So far, no additional details about the arrest have been released. Messages to Ford have not been returned.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said early Wednesday morning that a threat made at the Ford Kansas City Assembly plant in Claycomo, Missouri, was not credible, and one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident.
The search inside the plant lasted several hours and concluded around 2 a.m.
The situation began at around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday when a phone call came into Ford’s safety and risk management team.
A man on the line claimed to be armed with explosives, a rifle and a handgun. He told them he was barricaded in the second-floor bathroom in the paint area of the plant and that he was disgruntled with his job.
Ford shut down production, and employees inside the plant evacuated, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
There were no reports of gunshots or injuries.
Sarah Boyd, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said authorities treated it like a “real threat.”
“We are going to treat this as a real and active threat,” she said.
The sheriff’s office made the decision to evacuate the plant.
“We don’t have confirmation anyone is in there, but we will treat it like there is,” she said. “Our next step is make entry into this building.”
Several agencies joined search at Ford plant in Claycomo
The search continued at the massive facility as the clock hit midnight on Wednesday morning.
Joining the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Claycomo Police Department were local agencies, along with the FBI.
About a dozen officers were originally on the scene, and additional units were called in.
At around 10:15 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said they had not located anyone on their initial search of the area where the suspect claimed to be barricaded.
Employees were told to evacuate the scene
Most employees told KMBC’s Peyton Headlee they had just started their shift.
Some employees said there wasn’t a clear message about what was going on — they heard a rumor, and employees started leaving the plant.
Other employees said they were told there was an active shooter and they needed to leave the plant.
Employees said it was a scary situation, and a lot of details are missing.
The UAW put out a brief statement on the matter.
“The UAW is closely monitoring a possible active shooter situation at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant,” the union said. “We stand with our UAW family at KCAP and will continue fighting for a safe workplace for all.”
Sheriff’s office believed call may have been “swatting”
The sheriff’s office said the caller provided a name that did not belong to an actual employee at the plant. The caller named the supervisor, but authorities have not made contact with the person.
The possibility of the situation being a swatting call was not ruled out as part of the investigation by the sheriff’s office.
“Our Special Tactics and Response Team is entering the plant to find the source of the threat,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Tuesday night. “It is possible this is a swatting call, but we will treat the threat as real until we can prove otherwise. Our negotiators are on scene, as well, and have been unable to make contact.”
Early Wednesday morning, after authorities announced the call was a hoax, law enforcement agencies addressed the severity of “swatting” calls.
“This hoax created a huge strain on law enforcement,” Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said in a news conference Wednesday morning.
An official with the FBI said swatting calls are criminal events that can have very real consequences.
“Making false claims takes away from our actual jobs and our resources to take care of actual incidents,” the spokesperson said.
Arrest made in threat
Clay County Sheriff Will Akin announced in Wednesday morning’s news conference that one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. Clay County deputies, Kansas City and Claycomo Police, and the FBI are working with prosecutors to consider appropriate charges in this case.
So far, no additional details about the arrest have been released.
Messages to Ford have not been returned.