CINCINNATI — Two Kroger locations only minutes apart from each other were evacuated Monday afternoon following separate bomb threats.
Cincinnati police said the Kroger store on Vine Street in Hartwell received a bomb threat. The store was briefly evacuated, and police found no active threat.
Just a nine-minute drive away, Woodlawn police responded to a bomb threat at the Woodlawn Kroger location on Springfield Pike. Police cleared the store, but said it likely would not reopen Monday.
A Kroger spokesperson confirmed both stores were evacuated due to bomb threats.
"We are disheartened by the continued violent threats against our customers and associates," the spokesperson said. "One of our core values is safety and we remain committed to protecting our customers and associates from injury with a safe and secure workplace and shopping environment. Our stores are safe."
This isn't the first time multiple Kroger locations in the Tri-State have received threats in one day. Police responded to stores in Bellevue, Erlanger, Oakley, North College Hill and Newport in one weekend in June due to anonymous bomb threats. Police determined all of the threats were unfounded.
"We are grateful to our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal level for their swift action to investigate these threats that have taken place not only at our stores, but at many retailers across the country," the Kroger spokesperson said.
Bomb threats have also been reported at Targets, Whole Foods and Walmarts across the country.
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