"Threat appeared to be a prank", yes I am sure we all would think that but you never know...... Thanks to PAPD for keeping us safe.

Did the police dispatcher misunderstand the phone call? Was the caller trying to order
some Da bomb tacos?

You never know is correct. No business is immune to bomb threats, and it doesn't matter if most are pranks. You take them seriously.

When I was away at college in Los Angeles I was working at a large bank. We got a bomb threat and the manager didn't take it seriously. He refused to call LAPD. Most customers are happy, but banks foreclose on homes, repo cars, deny loans and credit cards, close overdrawn accounts, etc. You're dealing with an agitated clientele.

To this day I'll never understand his mindset. He's an absolute idiot and he should've been fired for not having enough common sense to realize you don't put employees/customers lives at risk. I was hoping someone would contact the media. Live at 5 - KTLA style.

How embarrassing! Of course it was a prank.

Does anyone remember the Black Mamba incident that took place 1993?

Whether it was real or a prank, Palo Alto residents and the PAPD took it very seriously.

The PAPD estabblished a Black Mamba Task Force that fielded 900+ calls a day and created a sharpshooter unit that fired 15 rounds into a coiled black hose situated in PA resident's back yard.

Residents reported missing cats and neighbors in the Ross Road area remained vigilant.

Eventually someone claimed responsibility for the missing snake but upon further review, PAPD detectives came to the conclusion that the respondent's account differed from that of the Animal Control employee who took the initial call regarding the missing snake.

TV crews from channels 7-5-4-2 were seen in the Midtown area trying to get a scoop on the story and came up empty-handed because the snake either got away or was a fabrication.

Apparently some Pali Alto residents and the PAPD mistook Palo Alto with Kenya and overreacted.

Ever since 911, bomb threats are taken very seriously and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing by Chechnyan Islamic terrorists have reinforced the vigilance by citizens and law enforcement alike.

@Marianne Prescott I remember the Black Mamba incident well. It had the whole town in a tizzy. I live in Midtown. I never watched my feet while walking around in case the snake struck, but I was definitely amused by all the press and TV coverage.

Like others, I remember the Black Mamba scare. I was trying to find the Weekly article in the archives, but unfortunately the online archives don't go back that far.

Here's a Verde article describing it. Web Link Black Mamba Scare of 93