Prosecutors say a man in Las Vegas picked up the phone, called the St. George Costco, and threatened to blow up the warehouse if managers did not fire Black and LGBTQ employees. According to court papers, the caller laced his tirade with racial slurs and warned he would “blast the place” and “light (them) up like a BBQ.” Detectives say they traced the calls to a Las Vegas phone number, and an arrest warrant was issued on Thursday, May 14.
As reported by KSL, 46-year-old Ramchand Rattan is the man named in the warrant. He faces a second-degree felony count of making a threat of terrorism and a class B misdemeanor for electronic communication harassment. The warrant states Costco staff received four separate phone calls from a man who used slurs, threatened violence, and demanded that employees be removed because of their race and sexual orientation.
In coverage by ABC4 Utah, St. George detectives say search warrants for phone records led them to Rattan and also tied the same number to a string of racially charged calls to a local Ford dealership in May 2025. A friend quoted in the court documents told police Rattan may suffer from an undiagnosed mental illness and had made biased comments in the past, according to the filings.
Investigation findings
Investigators reviewed surveillance and other evidence while building their case for the warrant. Court filings say video footage showed a man matching Rattan’s driver’s license photo at both the Costco and the Ford dealership on the day before the threatening calls were made. Detectives then followed the digital trail back to a Las Vegas phone number and used that information as part of their application for the arrest warrant, according to materials cited by KSL.
Charges and penalties
Under Utah law, threatening to use a hoax weapon of mass destruction or otherwise making a terroristic threat is prosecuted as “threat of terrorism,” a second-degree felony. As outlined by the relevant Utah statute, the charge applies when a threat is intended to intimidate a civilian population or interfere with people occupying a public place. Second-degree felonies in Utah typically carry an indeterminate prison term that generally ranges from one to 15 years under state sentencing rules, as reflected in the Utah Code.
As of the latest reporting, Rattan was not in custody, and the warrant remained outstanding, ABC4 Utah reports. Prosecutors presented their evidence to Washington County authorities before the warrant was issued, and the case is now listed in the 5th District Court docket, according to local court records cited in coverage.
The case is assigned to Washington County’s 5th District Court and remains under active investigation. Any future developments, including a possible arrest or additional filings, are expected to appear in court records if and when prosecutors move the case forward.
