Authorities said Coty Clements admitted to making the threat after he saw people make similar calls on TikTok
A Florida man was arrested after authorities said he used a phone he found in a Walmart bathroom stall to call in a fake bomb threat and later admitted he was inspired to make the threat from TikTok.
It happened Friday and resulted in the arrest of Coty J. Clements, 28, of North Port. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said Clements called in a false report of planting a bomb at a Neighborhood Walmart in Port Charlotte, an unincorporated community about 37 miles from Fort Myers.
“Threats of any kind will not be tolerated in Charlotte County, and for this individual, I believe he learned that lesson promptly,” said Sheriff Bill Prummell. “Thankfully there was no actual threat to the public, but I want to commend the quick responses of my dispatchers as well as the deputies in ensuring the safety of the scene and in locating this suspect.”
Clements is accused of calling 911 and telling dispatchers there was a bomb inside the store and hung up the phone. When dispatchers called him back, Clements reportedly said, “Tick tock, tick tock.”
Deputies searched the Walmart and connected with the phone’s owner, who told authorities he accidentally left his phone inside the store’s restroom. He said he saw through his Bluetooth watch that 911 was attempting to call him.
The unidentified owner pinged the location of his phone to the stall he left his phone in, authorities said. Deputies reviewed Walmart security footage and saw the phone’s owner enter and exit the restroom before the threat was made.
Deputies said they also saw Clements enter the restroom after the phone’s owner left. The threat was made while he was in the restroom, the sheriff’s office said. No one else entered or exited the restroom during the time the call was made, authorities said.
He left the store after calling in the threat but reentered the retailer, which is when he was detained by deputies.
Authorities said the suspect admitted to making the threat after he saw people make similar calls on TikTok.
Clements now faces a felony charge of a false report about planting a bomb or weapon of mass destruction. He was released on a $15,000 bond. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
A Florida Man Accidentally Left His Phone in a Walmart Bathroom. Then a Stranger Used It to Call in a Bomb Threat - NewsBreak
A Florida man was arrested after authorities said he used a phone he found in a Walmart bathroom stall to call in a fake bomb threat and later admitted he was inspired to make the threat from TikTok
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