Hostage Threat Locks Down West Street; S.W.A.T. Responds

Story and Photos by Andrew Finein

Falls Church City police, Fairfax County Police, and a S.W.A.T. team all responded within minutes Saturday after an unidentified man telephoned police about 2 p.m. claiming that he was holding a hostage and planned to go on a shooting spree.

The man reportedly claimed that he was at the corner of Randolph and West streets in the City of Falls Church. However, police were not able to trace the call to that exact location.

Shortly after police arrived on West Street, authorities said, the man called again to say that his threat was a hoax. Police nevertheless continued to treat the incident as possibly serious and barricaded the area.

After the S.W.A.T. team searched all the houses in the area, police reopened the streets to the public.

No information has been made available on whether police have identified any suspects in the hoax.

See also coverage by:
* Falls Church News Press
* CBS 6 WTVR.com
* ABC 7 News