Police Credit Alert Shopper With Mall Bombing Suspect Arrest
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- It was an alert shopper at the Table Mesa King Soopers in Boulder who made the phone call that led police to arrest Earl Albert Moore, the suspect in the Southwest Plaza bomb scare.
That's where a failed explosive device was found last week that prompted the mall to be evacuated and eventually closed to the public for an entire day.
It may seem the least likely of places where a nationwide manhunt would come to an end -- a cafe area right next to the Starbucks.
Dispatchers received the 911 call from a woman around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Dispatch: "Boulder Police and Fire, this is Joe. How can I help you?"
Caller: "Hi this is (name). I'm in the Table Mesa King Soopers. And there's a gentleman sitting in here who looks just like the guy who did the bomb thing at Southwest Plaza."
Dispatch: "Where is he in the King Soopers?"
Caller: "He's in the deli area. Now, I realize this probably is not him, but I didn't want to just walk away because he does look like him."
The woman said she recognized Moore after seeing his picture on TV. She goes on the tell the dispatcher that he was wearing a baseball cap, a red and black jacket. He was sitting down drinking coffee. The dispatcher took action:
Dispatch: "Alright I'll get someone out to check on him just make sure he's not the one we're looking for."
A little less than an hour later, police showed up. Moore, aware that police were there for him, tried to quickly leave but was caught in the parking lot.
Police said he was unarmed, and didn't put up a fight during his arrest. Police said he didn't give police his real name after he was taken into custody.
