Man Threatened to Bomb Willow Grove Walmart, Police Say

A Darby man is behind bars for allegedly calling the Walmart in Willow Grove and threatening to blow it up.

Kareem Michael Smith, 21, of Tyler Avenue in Darby, was arrested and charged this week with four counts of making bomb threats and four counts of making terroristic threats. In all, Smith is facing four felony counts for the alleged calls placed to Walmart on Monday, according to court documents. 

The store, which is located at 2101 Blair Mill Road in Willow Grove, had been evacuated shortly before police arrived on Monday at 10:44 a.m. Prior to the police’s arrival, two calls–said to have come from Smith’s T-Mobile cell phone–had been placed to the store advising of a bomb.

In the first call, the caller, whose number showed up as private, said, “I’m advising you to leave the building. There has been a bomb placed in there,” according to court documents.

The man then called the store again nine minutes later, according to police. This time, he said, “I’m going to blow your store up,” according to court documents.

According to posts made on Upper Moreland Patch’s Facebook page, a number of area residents were in the store at the time of the evacuation.

Allison Holland said she was hoping it was just a “bad hoax.”

“I feel the evacuation happened really smoothly,” Holland wrote. “I only knew it was a bomb threat because I asked an employee. I understand they were trying to keep everyone under control, but once outside, all the customers stood by the doors, while the employees were as far away from the building as possible.”

Employees of the Willow Grove Walmart directed calls to the company's press office. Calls made there were not returned. 

A Walmart store manager “visually swept” the building in the hour after the calls were received before reopening, according to court records. 

Soon after, police were called back to the store at 12:35 p.m. for two additional bomb threats, according to police.

This time, the caller allegedly used profanity in delivering the threats. “I told you not to call the cops. Now I’m really going to blow this (building) up,” he said, according to court documents.

Upper Moreland Police obtained a log of incoming calls from Verizon and noticed that the same number was used when three of the threats were received, according to police.

In two separate instances, Upper Moreland Police called the cell phone number traced to Smith and spoke to him about his alleged involvement in the bomb threats. Police said Smith hung up on officers in both instances. 

Police determined that the phone number traces back to T-Mobile and asked the company for information on all calls made over a 48-hour period, as well as who owns the phone. The log showed the calls made to Walmart and that the calls were preceded with *67 so the number would show up as private, police said.

The phone was then tracked to 222 meters of Tyler Avenue in Darby. Upper Moreland Police coordinated with Darby police in finding Smith, who, police said admitted to speaking to an Upper Moreland officer and shared that the phone number believed to be associated with the bomb threats was his. 

Smith was arraigned this week before Hatboro District Judge Paul Leo and sent to Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing has been set for July 17.