The Belle Vernon Walmart in Rostraver was open for business Thursday evening after the store was evacuated that afternoon following a bomb threat.
Walmart employees heard a male voice give the proper code for a bomb threat over the store’s internal radio communications twice in a short period of time, prompting managers to evacuate the store and call 911, Rostraver police Chief John E. Christner said in a statement.
Police from Rostraver, Monessen and North Belle Vernon responded to the scene along with fire units from around the area.
The store’s entrances were closed off while first responders waited for the Explosive Detection K9 units from Region 13 and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department to arrive, the chief said.
Police officers accompanied the explosive detection dogs while the store was searched.
No explosives were found and there were no injuries reported, Christner said.
Investigators learned that the person who reported the bomb threat was a “rogue ex-employee” who still had a portable radio, the chief said.
Emergency units cleared the scene at about 5:30 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher.
The former employee’s identity was not released by police and information about whether charges will be filed was not immediately available.
