RICE LAKE, Wis. (WJMC) — “No shots fired, no injuries.”
That’s the word from Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald after multiple reports of active shootings around Rice Lake led to lockdowns and a massive police response to the city Thursday evening. Rice Lake Police Department said a car backfiring was the cause of the false alarm.
The first reports came in around 6:30 p.m., near Walmart, then near the Rice Lake Middle School, and then again near Walmart. The suspect vehicle, a black sedan, was spotted driving north on West Avenue. Officers stopped the vehicle just north of Walmart and took two men into custody at gunpoint.
The investigation learned that the car had been modified to intentionally backfire during acceleration and sound like gunfire. No weapons were located, nor was any evidence of a shooting, RLPD said.
The men are from Shell Lake and Weyerhaeuser. Their names have not yet been released.
Authorities are investigating the incident and expected charges are pending for the men.