Department Refuses To Update Public After Thousands Scared, Some Crying, Locked Down In Closets, Storage Rooms…
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The Boca Raton Police Department still refuses to update the public nearly three months after thousands of shoppers at Boca Raton Town Center Mall were locked down for hours as a drama of the police department’s own making played out in the parking lot.
It was Saturday, September 14th, 2024 when a popular “gamer” was live-streaming a visit to the mall for his followers to watch online. While the gamer, Cody Conrod, was in the mall, someone apparently thought it would be funny to watch him react to a real-time crisis and called in a threat. The threat, claiming that there were guns and bombs in a car in the parking lot, led to a massive police response. That led to a lockdown involving thousands of shoppers.
But sources tell BocaNewsNow.com that the Boca Raton Police Department knew within minutes that the call was a hoax. Even so, the department didn’t end the lockdown for several hours, as scared shoppers — some fearing for their lives — sent “goodbye” messages to loved ones from storage closets and other hiding places.
Minutes into the lockdown, BocaNewsNow.com obtained video seeming to show teens admitting to the threat. But as of December 11th, not only has the Boca Raton Police Department made no arrests, it refuses to update the public about what happened. In fact, BocaNewsNow.com received this terse statement from a police spokesperson following our request for an update on Wednesday: “A summarized narrative of what occurred was provided in a news release on September 14, 2024. The investigation remains open and active.”
City employees tell BocaNewsNow.com that City Manager George S. Brown, Mayor Scott Singer, and several other city leaders were “livid” at the police department leadership’s handling of the situation. We previously reported on issues involving Police Chief Michele Miuccio. The Boca Raton Police Department refuses to release 911 calls, an incident report, or any information regarding the threat. The Boca Raton Police Department often uses the “open investigation” claim to avoid providing information to the news media. In this case, however, the department won’t say what exactly is “open” in a case three months old.
Sources suggest that some of the teens seen in the video may have a relationship to people making decisions. We don’t know if that’s true — the cops won’t answer questions. At one point, Boca Raton Police officials attempted to claim that it was Simon Properties — the mall owner — that ordered the extended lockdown. Someone familiar with Simon’s operations, however, told BocaNewsNow.com that mall officials only did what police told them to do.
