KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, man faces a felony charge for allegedly lying in a phone call Wednesday to Liberty police.
James Suffern, 60, was charged with making a terroristic threat, a Class D felony.
Suffern was pulled over around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. During the traffic stop, police learned he was driving with a suspended license and had outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Around 1:41 p.m., police received a 911 call reporting a shooting at Liberty Hospital.
Officers from several agencies were immediately dispatched, and while hospital security staff were not aware of any shooting, the hospital went on lockdown "out of an abundance of caution," police said.
Investigators quickly discovered the number used to place the false report was associated with Suffern, who had called in a failed attempt to avoid being arrested.
"Making a false emergency report is not a way to get out of going to jail, it diverts emergency responders away from legitimate calls for service and places unnecessary fear and disruption on our community," Liberty police said in a Facebook post.
Suffern is being held at the Clay County Detention Center. His bond is set at $50,000, Liberty police said.
"This incident highlights the outstanding teamwork between our communications officers, patrol officers, detectives, Liberty Hospital security, the Gladstone Police Department and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office," Liberty police stated. "Their quick actions allowed officers to rapidly determine the report was false while ensuring the safety of everyone at the hospital."
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