Last night, a bomb scare gripped shoppers and employees at a Giant Eagle store in Pittsburgh's South Side, leading to a swift evacuation of approximately 40 to 50 individuals from the premises. The threat prompted a response from Pittsburgh Police and the bomb squad, with explosive-sniffing dogs dispatched to conduct a thorough sweep. Authorities were alerted to the situation on the 2000 block of Wharton Street, according to WPXI.
While the bomb squad and K9 units worked to ensure the store was safe, there were no injuries reported as a result of the incident. A spokesperson for Giant Eagle relayed that the store, which typically shuts its doors at 9 p.m., would reopen the following morning. This information came after Pittsburgh Police had given the all-clear at around 10:13 p.m., having found the building free of threats on completion of their search. This announcement was echoed by Public Safety officials, as detailed in the WTAE report, who noted that the bomb squad did not recover anything from the site.
The nature of the threat stemmed from a 911 call received at 8:15 p.m., where the caller alleged that a bomb had been placed inside the store. However, the details of the caller and their motives remain unclear, and it is uncertain if the incident has resulted in any arrests.
