By Photos submitted to the OBSERVER
Law enforcement and Fredonia Fire Department are pictured investigating a bomb threat at Crosby’s on Main Street in Fredonia. At 8:50 a.m., the area is being evacuated. As of 10:45 a.m. the incident has been resolved, according to village Mayor Michael Ferguson.
FREDONIA — The streets of downtown Fredonia were anything but calm Thursday morning.
Just before 8 a.m. Thursday, the Fredonia Police Department received a 911 call reporting that an occupant of a vehicle was using a shotgun to honk the horn of a vehicle from the rear seat. The vehicle, a red SUV, was parked at the Crosby’s gas station and convenience store at 44 East Main Street in downtown Fredonia.
The vehicle’s horn was still being honked at the time Fredonia Police officers arrived on the scene. Officers approached the vehicle and observed towels and blankets hung from inside of the vehicle, obstructing the view inside the vehicle.
“Officers made verbal contact and found the rear seat of the vehicle to be occupied by an adult male and a female. Both occupants were removed from the vehicle, both claiming that a bomb was located in the vehicle,” stated the Fredonia Police Department in a press release.
The immediate area surrounding the vehicle was evacuated and a section of East Main Street was closed.
Bomb technicians from the Chautauqua and Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department Hazardous Device Units utilized robots to inspect the vehicle and its contents. A K9 unit from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office was then utilized to search the vehicle.
The scene was rendered safe after a thorough search of the vehicle. A pellet/BB gun was discovered in the vehicle and was determined as the weapon being utilized to honk the horn of the vehicle. No shotgun was located in the vehicle, as reported by the 911 call.
Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone told the OBSERVER that “emotional distress” on the subjects in the vehicle likely played a factor in the incident. He was not aware of any threats made to officers or businesses in the area, rather that the individuals believed there was a bomb in the vehicle, which there was not.
Fredonia Police was assisted and supported by members of the City of Dunkirk Police, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, the University Police of Fredonia, the New York State Police, the Chautauqua County Fire Police, and the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office. The Fredonia Fire Department was also notified and placed on stand-by.
“It was a great cooperation and collaboration of several different agencies working together to keep the community safe,” Quattrone said.
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Photos submitted to the OBSERVER
Law enforcement and Fredonia Fire Department are pictured investigating a bomb threat at Crosby’s on Main Street in Fredonia. At 8:50 a.m., the area is being evacuated. As of 10:45 a.m. the incident has been resolved, according to village Mayor Michael Ferguson.
The Fredonia Police Department thanks the community for its cooperation during the evacuation process. The Department anticipates charges to follow pending an investigation.
