Walmart reopens after store evacuated over bomb threat

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Tense moments at a local Walmart after the entire store was evacuated Monday evening. This comes after Harris County Sheriff's Deputies say someone made a terroristic threat.

The Walmart is located on Westpark and Highway 6 in southwest Houston. 

Customers said they were inside the store around 6:30 PM shopping for school supplies when they heard a message over a loudspeaker asking people to exit the store due to a bomb threat.

"Everyone started panicking and just dropped everything and started running. I saw everyone grab on to their family members and they just started running out of the store and I did the same thing. What if it had been real, I could’ve lost my little brother or both of us," said Monserrat Jaimes.

Jaimes also said the threat was especially unnerving in the wake of the El Paso mass shooting just a few weeks ago. 

In a statement, Walmart said the store was evacuated as a precaution.

"The safety and security of our customer and associates is a top priority. After being alerted to a potential threat, we notified local law enforcement and evacuated the store out of an abundance of caution."