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The incident happened around 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 10, when the Spring Valley Police Department received a phone call from a male in the Target Store at the Spring Valley Marketplace who stated he was armed, had multiple hostages, and placed explosives throughout the store, said Spring Valley Police Det. Matthew Galli.
The Spring Valley Police Department immediately dispatched units to the location and the incident turned into a multi-departmental operation being lead by the Spring Valley Police Department, Galli said.
The Target Store was evacuated and cleared by agencies on the scene as well as numerous canine units from throughout the state.
Once the Target Store was deemed safe of any immediate threat, the store was re-opened as well as the rest of vehicular and pedestrian traffic to the Spring Valley Marketplace, Galli said.
"Although the investigation is currently pending, it appears that the initial call was a 'swatting' incident," Galli said.
The following agencies assisted in the operation:
- Clarkstown Police Department,
- Ramapo Police Department,
- Rockland County Sheriff’s Office,
- New York State Police,
- MTA Police,
- South Nyack Grandview Police,
- FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force,
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
- Spring Valley Fire Department,
- Spring Hill Ambulance,
- Rockland County Paramedic Services.
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