Rumors of gang fights at Wal-Mart false

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that rumors distributed recently via the Internet and cell phone text messages warning of gang assaults at local stores are false.

Spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson said that CenCom dispatchers have been receiving an “increasing number of calls ... from people worried about stories they’ve heard that there will be ‘gang initiations’ at local Wal-Mart stores where unsuspecting store patrons will be targeted.”

Wilson said these rumors are “considered false” and are not being considered as a credible threat.

He added that “these reports have come and gone over Internet blog sites for the past several years, and their veracity has never been proven.”

However, he said that anyone who witnesses criminal activity should not hesitate to call 911.

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