Police investigate bomb threat to Lawton banks

Lawton police shut down traffic for a block perimeter at Liberty National Bank, 629 SW C, Tuesday morning following a bomb threat made to the bank’s call center.

Fort Sill’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit arrived around 10:30 a.m. to conduct a sweep of the downtown location for the bank. All neighboring businesses were cleared as a precaution, according to police.

Lawton Public Schools Police Department assisted with the search with their Explosive Detecting K-9 officer, according to police.

The Liberty National Bank branch at 4005 W. Gore also was cleared of occupants to allow for a search.

Bank CEO Rick Walker said the bank’s call center received the threat around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“We called the authorities immediately as a precaution,” he said. “We take all threats seriously.”

Walker said the call has caused a lot of chaos but he was happy everyone was able to be evacuated. He said it would take time for the downtown location to be thoroughly searched but safety is in the forefront of all decisions.

“This is a bit of a fiasco,” he said. “This is our flag ship, our main location.”

Police released the downtown perimeter shut down between Southwest 6th and 7th streets and B and C avenues shortly before noon after no explosive device was found. The Gore location was cleared and reopened earlier.

Taylor S. Green, Chief Banking Officer for Liberty National Bank, offered appreciation for the law enforcement who helped in securing and clearing each bank location as well as the public during the threat.

“We would also like to thank the communities we serve for your cooperation and understanding during this incident,” he said. “We appreciate everyone’s support.”

The Lawton Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is continuing to investigated the source of the threat.

Lawton police are asking anyone with relevant information regarding the threat to call Crime Stoppers, 580-355-INFO (4636).