A hoax involving a fake hostage situation and report of an armed man at a Kearny Mesa office building led to a large police response in the area Tuesday afternoon, authorities confirmed.
According to officials, San Diego police received a call at around 1:40 p.m. reporting that a man with a gun was allegedly holding people hostage inside an office building located at 9444 Balboa Ave.
Multiple police officers responded to the scene but quickly determined the call was a hoax.
By 2:15 p.m., officials confirmed there was no armed man or hostages inside the building. Though officers set up a perimeter and scoured the building, the office was not evacuated. No one was injured in the incident and the building was cleared shortly thereafter.
According to police, the original call – placed by an unknown person – came into the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department communications center and was transferred to police dispatch.
