Post-holiday shoppers fled from a La Mesa Toys R Us after an employee discovered a bomb threat written on a bathroom stall.
While cleaning the restrooms, a worker at the Grossmont Center store saw the message scrawled on the stall. La Mesa police said it threatened a bomb would go off at 2:20 p.m.
The employees notified their corporate office and police, who advised them to clear the store. An employee announced an evacuation over the loudspeaker at about 1 p.m.
La Mesa police requested Harbor police send in their explosive detection dog to search the building.
Just before 3:30 p.m., officers declared no threat had been found, and the store was reopened for business. No injuries were reported.
Lori Grettenberger said she was in the store with her granddaughter, who was looking to spend a newly received gift card, when they were told to leave.
"Everybody was evacuated by police inside the store, and it’s kind of shocking and disappointing that someone would do this to children," Grettenberger said.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
She and her granddaughter had to wait in the area before they could access their car.
"It's kind of inconvenient," she said. "But safe -- I'm glad we're safe."
Police plan to look through surveillance video to identify the person who wrote the threat.
Lori Grettenberger was shopping with her granddaughter when
