Ford plant in Kansas City’s Northland evacuated, but officials find no credible threat
Update: The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said around 2:30 a.m. that officials found no one inside the facility and no credible threat.
Workers at the Ford Motor Company plant in Kansas City’s Northland were cleared from the facility on Tuesday afternoon as authorities were investigating a “possible threat” that may have been a prank call, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
The shutdown was prompted by a phone call made to the company’s safety and risk management team around 5:20 p.m., Sarah Boyd, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department, said in a statement. The SWAT team was called out to enter the Claycomo plant and look for the source of the threat, Boyd said.
The person who called claimed to be a disgruntled employee armed with explosives, a rifle and a handgun, Boyd said. The caller also said he was barricaded in a bathroom on the second floor of the plant.
“It is possible this is a swatting call, but we will treat the threat as real until we can prove otherwise,” Boyd said. “Our negotiators are on scene, as well, and have been unable to make contact.”
Production did shut down and was canceled for the night shift on Tuesday as the threat was being investigated. Police blocked off the road on U.S. 69 Highway as the investigation was ongoing.
The sheriff’s department was asking people to avoid the area on Tuesday.
