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COON RAPIDS, Minn. (KMSP) - A prankster claiming to be a fire official called employees at a Coon Rapids, Minn. Burger King and instructed them to smash their windows to protect the building from explosive gas on Friday night, so they did.
Coon Rapids Police Sgt. Mike Blair said they received a call that windows were being smashed at the eating establishment on 2025 Northdale Boulevard around 9:33 p.m. Friday.
When officers arrived, employees told them they had received a call from someone claiming to be from the fire department, asking to speak with the manager to tell them the business was filling up with explosive gas. The caller then convinced them to break the windows to relieve the pressure.
Police are currently trying to track down the apparent prankster. One employee got a minor cut from the glass, but no other injuries were reported.
Reportedly, this isn't the first time Burger Kings around the country have been targeted. A similar call was placed to a Burger King in Oklahoma on Thursday night resulting in $10,000 worth of damage to the windows. In February at a Burger King in California, employees smashed the windows and the manager slammed his car into the building.
A YouTube video captured a bit of the incident: https://youtu.be/RRJBs3pjF90
Warning: Video contains some profanities.
"The Coon Rapids Police and Fire Departments WOULD NEVER call a residence or business to ask them to take action of any kind. Calls for service come in to the 911 dispatch system (from someone calling to report a problem) and only then do police, fire and emergency responders respond to calls/situations. In the event you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a police or fire agency, asking you to take some type of action, consider it a prank call and call 911 immediately," police said in a news release.