5 reports of gunmen at separate SoCal Walmarts all ruled hoaxes

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Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Reports of gunmen at 3 LA County Walmarts ruled hoax
Police responded to three different gunman scares at Walmart locations in Los Angeles County over the weekend, but all turned out to be hoaxes.

Police responded to five different gunman scares at Walmart locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties over the weekend and on Monday, but they all turned out to be hoaxes.

On Sunday afternoon, police evacuated the Walmart in Pico Rivera after a report of a man inside with a gun.

In Santa Fe Springs, authorities say someone called the manager at that location and reported a suspicious person inside, potentially with a gun.

On Saturday, sheriff's deputies responded to a Walmart in Rosemead after another similar call that also turned out to be a hoax.

There were two additional reports in Orange County that turned out to be hoaxes.

On Sunday, Brea police responded to a report of an armed man inside a Walmart and the store was evacuated. Officers during their investigation determined there was no armed man and deemed the incident a hoax.

In Buena Park, the police department responded to a call over "threats being made from inside of Walmart."

"Officers assessed the scene and no person(s) responsible for the call were located," Buena Park police said. "It was later discovered the original caller was from out of state and the call appeared to have been a hoax."

Investigators are trying to determine if all the incidents are connected.