Police: Report of hostages in SE Wichita home turns out to be false

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Wichita police officers responded to a hostage call Monday afternoon, but they soon learned it was false.

Sgt. Brian Hightower said around 11 a.m. someone called Wichita City Hall Security saying he was holding his family hostage in the 2300 block of S. Ridgewood.

“The person indicated he was a juvenile male and that he was holding his family hostage and intended to kill them,” said Sgt. Hightower. “So, we had to take it seriously.”

Police were told the caller had a British accent, and that it was a text call featuring an online internet-based phone.

“It had the pretenses of sounding like a false call from the beginning, but obviously, we’re going to take every precaution,” said Hightower.

Officers quickly located the homeowner of the residence and determined the call to be false. The scene was cleared without incident.

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