Car backfiring mistaken for gunfire, prompting large police response

RICE LAKE, Wis. — Multiple schools and businesses in a western Wisconsin town went into lockdown Thursday evening when someone mistook a car backfiring for the sound of gunshots.

Around 6:30 p.m., the Rice Lake Police Department says it received a report of an active shooting incident near the Walmart. Dozens of law enforcement agencies responded to the reported shooting.

Despite finding no physical evidence to support that a shooting had occurred, officers searched the area further.

As officers continued to search the area, police received additional reports of gunshots being fired from a moving vehicle near Rice Lake Middle School. Again, when officers responded, they could not find evidence of a shooting.

A short time later, police received another report of gunshots, this time near T-Mobile. Officers stopped the suspect vehicle and its two occupants were detained.

An investigation found the car had been modified to cause it to intentionally backfire during acceleration, which can "sound like multiple rounds of gunfire," police said. No firearms arms were found in the car.

Police say that as a result of the shooting reports, multiple businesses had to be placed into lockdown, roads were closed and multiple events were canceled. Both the middle school and high school went on lockdown as well.

The incident remains under investigation and the Barron County District Attorney's Office will determine if there will be any criminal charges.