BEAUMONT — Beaumont Police scrambled to respond to more than 10 bomb threats around the city Thursday afternoon in what may have been part of threats made in cities around the country.
Police in Beaumont received their first call regarding a bomb threat at the offices of the Lower Neches Valley Authority at about 12:30 p.m. according to Beaumont Police spokesperson Officer Haley Morrow.
Police initially made a "large response" to the LNVA offices along Eastex Freeway at th LNVA canal and not long after they arrived the department began receiving multiple calls about bomb threats around the city Morrow told the media.
Police along with officers from federal agencies who responded soon realized the threats seemed to be part of threats being received in cities nationwide she said.
The threats were initially sent to local businesses and organizations via "electronic message" and then reported to police Morrow told 12News.
Police in Beaumont developed a close working relationship with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after dealing with two explosive devices and several threats earlier in the year according to Morrow.
Eventually more than 10 threats were received around the city though Morrow did not list all of the locations.
“We have received several additional calls of Bomb Threats at multiple locations in the city. We are investigating these threats with our local, state, and federal partners as is standard protocol. This investigation is ongoing," according to a tweet by the Beaumont Police Department.
Police in Lake Charles responded to two bomb threats at about the same time according to a news release from the Lake Charles Police Department.
The threats in Lake Charles were both received at area business via email with the first being received at 12:28 p.m. and the second at 1:35 p.m. the release said.
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A string of bomb threats emailed to universities, police departments and news outlets from New York City to Dallas to San Francisco Thursday sent officers scrambling to sort out what appeared to be a nationwide electronic hoax.
The New York City Police Department said the threats sent Thursday were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money and are not considered credible.
There were no reports that any actual explosive devices had been discovered, but the threats alone had forced many police departments to monitor and investigate.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.