Bomb threat closes Atlanta Brookshire’s for two hours

Saturday at 9:21 a.m. the corporate office of Brookshire’s informed Atlanta P.D. of a bomb threat that had been sent in through their main office. Out of safety, Brookshire’s reached out to the Atlanta Police Department to make them aware of the threat, said Atlanta Police Chief Greg Restelle. They then closed the store, and surrounding establishments were made aware.

Restelle said they thoroughly searched the area and had the bomb squad on standby to “make sure everyone was safe”. After the store was thoroughly searched Brookshire’s was reopened.

According to Katie Chaumont from public affairs at the FBI Dallas Division, they are aware of the situation and are taking the threat seriously, however at this point, they have determined that it is not a credible threat and most likely a hoax.

Chaumont said that most of the work the FBI will do will be from the investigation side. The first responders like Atlanta P.D. will be the ones on the scene to help secure the location. Chaumont said they are available for a physical response if the need arises to assist the local police departments. The FBI has also been in working contact with Brookshire’s Corporate Security.

Several other Brookshire’s stores also responded to the potential threat in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. The main office is in Tyler, Texas where a bomb threat was first reported on Friday according to other news reports.

Outside the area, the Brownwood News reported, “According to Assistant Manager Idalis Murguia, they were informed by Brookshire’s Asset Management from the corporate office that a bomb threat against the Brownwood store had been received via email.”

Brookshire’s Corporate representatives released this statement: “Brookshire Grocery Company can confirm that several of our Brookshire’s locations, including our Atlanta location, have received bomb threats. We reacted immediately to notify local law enforcement. After thoroughly searching each targeted store, no explosive or suspicious materials were found.”

“Although we believe these threats to all be a hoax, we are continuing to work with state and federal officials on the searching and investigating each threat and will actively pursue prosecution. We are so thankful for our leaders and local heroes who reacted swiftly to make sure our stores are safe. BGC’s number one priority is the health and safety of our employee-partners and customers.”

Chaumont and Restelle both communicated that it is an open investigation and that no arrests have been made as of Monday when this story was written.