Someone in the Midwest is angry at Walmart.
Police are investigating a rash of bomb threats called in to 11 Walmart stores in Missouri and Kansas over the weekend.
The threats, described as "robo-calls" because they sounded recorded, led to quick evacuations at eight stores across Missouri and three others in Lawrence and Leavenworth in Kansas. Searches for explosive devices at the stores found none.
In total, eight stores across Missouri received bomb threats while two more store locations, in Leavenworth, Kan., and Lawrence, Kan., also received similar calls. The Fredericktown Walmart received a call at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, according to ABC17. No devices were found at any of the stores.
"It was an automated call and the voice said there's a bomb in the building. You have two hours to get everybody out this store. This is not a joke," Fredricktown, Missouri Police Chief Eric Hovis said of the call that came into his local Walmart at 6:45 p.m. on Friday.
A Missouri TV station reported that Walmart locations in Jefferson City, Nixa, Ozark, Raytown and Gladstone also were closed because of bomb threats. All stores had reopened by Saturday evening.
But the threats didn't end. On Sunday, two Kansas locations received the threatening calls. Leavenworth Deputy Police Chief Dan Nicodemus told ABCNews.com that a call to a Walmart in Grand View, Mo., threatened a store in Leavenworth.
Former FBI profiler Brad Garrett told ABC that the incidents have prompted police to look for possible connections.
"You had a number of them Friday night in Missouri, and so could that have been the same person?" Garrett said. "Obviously the caller has got some issue with Walmart. They got fired perhaps … they had some issue with Walmart in the present or the past."
Walmart spokesman Dan Fogleman said the company is working with law enforcement to identify who is behind the threats.
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