Idaho mall evacuated after bomb and shooting threat

A mall in northern Idaho has been evacuated after a caller threatened gun violence and claimed there was a bomb, according to local officials. Police said there was no information showing the threat was legitimate but were treating it as real out of caution.

The incident began at about 3:50 p.m. on Friday when a person called the administrative office at Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, about 30 miles east of Spokane, Washington.

The caller threatened gun violence against the mall and also said he had a bomb, according to Coeur d’Alene Police Chief David Hagar.

Officers from multiple agencies responded to the mall and began evacuating the building. Police were also checking vehicles in the parking lot while the response remained ongoing.

“There is no information to show that this is a legitimate threat but out of an abundance of caution, we are treating it as if it were real,” Hagar said. A safety alert sent during the response asked the public to avoid the area while officers were at the mall.

Hagar said there had been a high number of “swatting” calls in Idaho recently and that Friday’s threat may be related. Swatting refers to false emergency reports intended to trigger a large police response.