Man Convicted of False Report of Bakersfield Hospital Shooter

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – A man has been found guilty of falsely reporting an active shooter at a California hospital.

Thursday reports say that Mario Thompson faces up to a year in jail for the August 2018 report at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield.

The Kern County District Attorney’s Office says Thompson also faces financial liability for “the havoc his actions caused.”

Police say Thompson called the hospital operator from inside the facility to report an active shooter.

The hospital called Bakersfield police and several emergency units responded.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 2.

Prosecutors say Thompson was previously convicted of impersonating a police officer in connection with a similar false shooter report at a hospital in December 2018.

He was ordered to serve nine months in jail as a condition of felony probation.