Santa Fe Springs, Los Angeles County, CA: A third Walmart store in eastern Los Angeles County Sunday afternoon, Jan. 29, was evacuated after yet another reported man inside a Walmart armed with a gun.

Whittier Police Department responded to, and surrounded the Walmart at the Gateway Plaza Center located at 13310 Telegraph Road in the city of Santa Fe Springs after a report of an armed subject inside the Walmart.

Citizen reports from multiple Neighborhood Watch groups mentioned that Walmart employees quickly evacuated the entire store of all patrons as armed police swarmed the entrance doors to prepare for entry.

Additional resources from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and La Habra Police Department responded to help further contain the area as armed officers swept the inside of the store for a possible shooter.

Around 2:15 p.m., officers cleared the building of any threat.

This was the third Walmart within 24 hours to have received such a threat. Saturday night in Rosemead, LASD Temple Station deputies responded to 1827 Walnut Grove Avenue regarding a reported armed person. The report was later unfounded.

Sunday, around noon, LASD Pico Rivera Station deputies swarmed the Walmart located at 8500 Washington Boulevard for reports of another shooter. This was also unfounded.

It has yet to be confirmed if all the calls are related to one another, however, all three appear to possibly be hoax related.

The calls come after a rise in multiple mass shootings since the new year, putting a lot of community members on edge.

Nathan Holguin, Video Journalist / KNN

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