FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KDVR) — The Fountain Police Department arrested a man on Wednesday after he claimed he had a bag with a bomb in it while walking to Walmart.
The incident started around 9:25 a.m. at the McDonald’s at 105 Plaza Blvd. Police said a man told employees at McDonald’s that he had a bomb.
Within five minutes, a Fountain police officer found the suspect, based on the description from employees at McDonald’s, walking toward Walmart.
The officer asked the man, who was carrying a large black duffle bag, to drop the bag. The suspect then dropped the bag in front of Walmart and walked away.
Police said the officer tackled the man and took him into custody.
At that time, police helped to evacuate people from Walmart. The store remained closed for over two hours.
The Colorado Springs Police Department bomb unit arrived at the scene and determined there was no explosive device in the bag. They also searched the area, and no bombs were found.
No injuries were reported.
The suspect was identified as Robert Mark Lantz, 39, of Fountain.
Lantz is being held at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on the following charges:
- False report of explosives, a felony
- False report to authorities, a misdemeanor
- Obstructing a police officer, a misdemeanor
Fountain police said later in the day, around 11:50 a.m., another bomb threat was called into the Family Dollar store at 6960 Mesa Ridge Parkway.
The store and surrounding businesses were forced to evacuate.
No device was found at the Family Dollar. No suspects have been identified.
