Seven different agencies responded, and the owner of the Lexus IS in Tennessee was waiting with other local evacuees, oblivious of the situation
October 29, 2023 at 10:55
One man’s attempt at saving a few bucks just cost state and federal authorities countless dollars. Police in Tennessee ended up being one of seven different agencies to respond to what it presumed was a bomb threat. It turned out that the owner of the Lexus in question just wanted to protect his car from door dings.
Early on Tuesday, October 24th, authorities in Murfreesboro, TN, received a number of 911 calls about a suspicious vehicle. The car in question, a Lexus IS sedan, did indeed have a strange contraption on its passenger side. Pictures show the device which turned out to be rubber bumpers connected via wire and suction cup to the vehicle. Some sort of wrapping with duct tape covers most of the setup.
That was enough for seven different agencies to respond including the MPD Drone Team, Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD), MFRD Fire Marshal’s Office, Rutherford County Fire Marshal, Tennessee Highway Patrol, ATF, Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency, and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services.
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On top of that, all of the businesses in the shopping plaza where the car was parked were also evacuated. Schools were placed on lockdown. According to authorities, the owner of the vehicle was standing a distance from the car with other evacuees totally unaware that it was his car that was the subject of all the commotion.
Evidently, Tennessee Highway Patrol ultimately gave the all-clear at some point but it’s unclear whether or not that was because it inspected the door ding protectors up close or because it got in touch with the owner who explained the situation. Police say that he won’t face any charges as he didn’t have any intent to harm.
As a person who hails from Tennessee, this story couldn’t be much more stereotypically Southern unless it involved country music. One guy tried to save a few bucks with one of the most comically rigged DIY crafts to ever grace the side of a Lexus, the police overreacted, and the man was oblivious the whole time. We’re just glad that no doors were dinged in the end.