MOLINE, Ill. — Moline police detained a 12-year-old after they allegedly made a false bomb threat on Wednesday.
According to a press release from MPD, a manager at the Taco Bell on Avenue of the Cities reported to 911 that someone had called and made a bomb threat. It happened around 5 p.m. and all customers and employees evacuated the building.
Police said the caller who reported the false bomb threat even described a suspect. A 14-year-old at the Taco Bell fit that description and was questioned by police when they got to the scene.
The 14-year-old told police that his friend — now known to be the 12-year-old — was mad at him for not hanging out and in retaliation, called in the fake bomb threat describing him (the 14-year-old) as the suspect. Police said they then detained the 12-year-old at his home. After being detained and interviewed, the 12-year-old was referred to Juvenile Court Services for further action.
Moline Police Chief Darren Gault provided the following statement in the press release:
“This is the second incident this week involving a young person making a poor decision. These are not challenges that law enforcement can address alone. We need the community to be engaged with our youth to help us stop the rise in juvenile crime. Calling in a bomb threat or bringing a BB gun to school are reckless actions that jeopardize public safety and can have dangerous, unintended consequences. The panic alone that these situations create is itself dangerous. We are fortunate that both incidents were resolved quickly without injury, but this highlights the urgent need for a more coordinated effort to prevent juvenile crime. I’m urging our court system, schools, and youth groups, parents and grandparents to come together and take more proactive steps in addressing youth delinquent behavior."