KANSAS CITY – The Clay County prosecutor charged a 19-year-old with making a terroristic threat in connection to the swatting call that prompted the evacuation of the Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri on Tuesday evening.
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Zachariah A. Peterson of Independence, MO has been charged with making a terroristic threat, a Class D felony.
Charging documents state Peterson made the call for the purpose of causing the evacuation so a friend could get out of work.
Documents also state the defendant made the call by using an app to disguised who he was.
He claimed on the call that he was armed with an AK-47 and a pound of explosives.
The call forced a large police response and the evacuation of the Ford plant. The plant was shut down for hours. After a complete search, police found nothing on site.