A man in a red sweater vest shouted “there’s a bomb” in a Chamblee Sam’s Club, then slipped away, police said.
A cashier called 911 shortly before 3 p.m. and managers evacuated the building at 2901 Clairmont Road, Chamblee Police Chief Donny Williams said.
“’There’s a bomb, there’s a bomb, there’s a bomb’” the unidentified man in red said to a cashier, Williams said.
The man left as the cashier went to tell other employees, Williams said.
The store was quickly evacuated.
“So, now, out of an abundance of caution we’ve got Doraville and DeKalb bomb units to do a thorough search of the building before we let anybody back in,” Williams said shortly after 4 p.m.
The Chamblee Police Department brought in bomb-sniffing dogs from Doraville and DeKalb police investigated more than two hours.
By about 5:15 p.m., the K-9 teams felt confident to let people back into the store, Williams said.
When loss prevention and store employees saw the surveillance video, they recognized the man in red as a juvenile who may have mental health issues, Williams said. He had been seen regularly in the store, employees told police.
Employees said they recognized the teenager, but didn’t know his name. They believed he was with his mother, which Williams said didn’t mean she knew what he allegedly did to cause the commotion.
“We’re going to try to figure out who they are,” Williams said. “I don’t know if they swiped their card today.”
The juvenile may be 15 or 16 and perhaps even younger, Williams said.
The Sam’s Club was opened for business again about 5:30 p.m.
Williams said the teenager may or may not face charges.
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