Clarksville Planet Fitness Bomb Threat Clears, Second Scare in Five Days

A bomb threat sent directly to a Planet Fitness employee triggered a multi-agency law enforcement response at the gym on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville, Tennessee, Thursday afternoon, though investigators ultimately determined the threat was not viable. The scare marked the second time in less than a week that a bomb squad has been called out to a Clarksville business.

According to the Clarksville Police Department, an individual messaged a Planet Fitness employee with a threat, prompting a 911 call at approximately 2:11 p.m. Police spokesperson Lt. Melissa Spielhagen confirmed the timeline and communication method to ClarksvilleNow, which reported that officers, Clarksville Fire Rescue, EMS, and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad/EOD all responded to the scene at 1600 Fort Campbell Blvd.

Responding agencies set up operations around the business and searched the premises but did not locate any explosive device, the police department said in its update. Once the area was cleared, Planet Fitness managers made the call to reopen the Fort Campbell store and resume business as usual.

Who Decides When a Business Reopens

The police department was careful to clarify its role in that decision. Per the department's own statement, Clarksville Police does not dictate when a store should close, evacuate, or reoccupy — that call rests with business management. In this case, it was Planet Fitness leadership, not officers, who determined the Fort Campbell Boulevard location was safe to reopen to members.

While the physical threat was cleared, the police department said its investigation remains ongoing. Officers are following up on possible leads and have asked anyone with information or additional video footage from the area to come forward. The public was also asked to avoid the area while the situation was being sorted out.

Anyone with tips can contact Sergeant Gilboy at 931-648-0656 ext. 5231, submit information online at p3tips.com/591, or reach the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers tipsline at 931-645-8477, where anonymous tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward. As of the department's Thursday afternoon update, no other information was available for release.

Second Bomb Scare in Under a Week

The Fort Campbell Boulevard incident came just five days after a separate explosive scare at a Goodwill store on Needmore Road, where Clarksville emergency personnel and the same Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad responded to a suspicious donated bag, according to Clarksville Online. That incident, which Hoodline previously reported was cleared, also ended without any device being found. Two bomb squad deployments within five days is a notable stretch for the city, and the county EOD unit provides primary explosive ordnance disposal support for both Clarksville and the surrounding county, per the same outlet.

The Fort Campbell Boulevard gym is one of three Planet Fitness locations in Clarksville, alongside gyms on Madison Street and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, according to Planet Fitness. The Fort Campbell location reportedly operates 24 hours a day.

A National Pattern of Hoax Threats

Clarksville's back-to-back scares echo a broader trend that has hit Planet Fitness before. In spring 2024, gyms across Florida, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, and Alabama were targeted by a wave of non-viable bomb threats sent via email and message, as reported by First Coast News. That nationwide surge, which Hoodline covered in a report on the bomb scare blitz targeting gyms, drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which opened its own inquiries, according to Advocate.com.

Locally, Clarksville police also announced Thursday that the department plans to collaborate with the U.S. Secret Service to strengthen its capabilities investigating cyber and financial crimes, ClarksvilleNow reported. Tracking down whoever sent the digital threat message remains an open question for investigators, and the stakes for that person are steep. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-16-502(a)(3), falsely reporting a bombing or emergency that prompts an official response is a Class C felony, according to Justia Law, carrying a potential sentence of 3 to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000 under state sentencing law, per Stephens & DiRado, LLP.