A Washington man was arrested Monday after starting a hoax that caused police to scramble for hours and had the city in distress.
On Monday, 23-year-old Malik Waggoner of Washington called 911 stating that he was a woman being held at gunpoint in an aisle at the local Walmart. However, when police arrived at the supercenter, they didn’t find anyone being held at gunpoint, even after reviewing the store’s security footage.
Police then investigated the community and did research on the phone used. It took several hours but eventually was able to be tracked to Waggoner. Waggoner was taken into custody without incident.
Police believe he called in the hoax to avoid being found on an active warrant against him. Waggoner was arrested on both the warrant and on the charge of false informing.
