A hoax call reporting an active shooter at Macomb Mall in Roseville, Michigan, sent police on a wild goose chase on May 23. Roseville police officers descended upon the scene ready to confront a shooter, only to find the mall quiet and untroubled by violence. According to ClickOnDetroit, the officers arrived armed for a potential bloodbath and quickly ascertained the threat was a fabrication.
In an ensuing investigation, with law enforcement officers searching for the person behind the phony call, the Roseville Police Department has vowed to hold the responsible party accountable. As the police were acting on the details of a purportedly life-threatening situation, their response, swift and no doubt saturated with urgency, turned out to be no existent threat. "Roseville police are investigating the source of the call. They plan to hold that person responsible," the department detailed, through a story by ClickOnDetroit.
FOX 2 Detroit reported that the entire mall was cleared without incident, ensuring the people inside were safe. This false alarm prompted a swift response from Roseville police, who are now committed to digging up the roots of this potentially dangerous deception.
Deputy Roseville police chief Robert Gudenau expressed the gravity with which they treat such matters, saying, as per C & G News, "Our officers responded immediately and armed themselves as they are trained and entered the mall to take immediate action." The authorities are treating the incident with utmost seriousness, looking to prosecute the prankster to the full extent of the law. While no traumatic event occurred, the county prosecutor, Peter Lucido, warned that such prank calls are a grievous offense. "Making a false claim like that is putting people in jeopardy," Lucido said, per C & G News, and added, "It will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Anyone who has information about the identity of the prankster is encouraged to reach out to the Roseville Police Department at 586-775-2100, as they continue to pursue the purveyor of this false panic. As this police search unfurls for the errant individual, it unfolds in the shadow of the potential tragedy that could have been, underscoring the severity with which society must handle these hoaxes.
