Man Cited After Firing Gun At Coyotes In Scout Lake Park: Police

GREENDALE, WI — A man was cited after he shot a handgun at coyotes when he was walking his dog in Greendale's Scout Lake Park in the early morning of Aug. 19, according to police.

Somebody called police about possible gunshots at Scout Lake just after 4:15 a.m. that day, logs said. Greendale officers found a man in the park who admitted to firing one round at coyotes, according to logs. Police said the man was cited for being at the park after hours and for discharging a firearm.

The man gave police an account that he felt threatened by the coyotes, according to Greendale Captain Donald Kloss.

Hours after the coyote incident at Scout Lake Park, Greendale police dealt with a bomb threat at a local fast food restaurant. An employee of the Chick Fil A at 5351 76th Street told police they got the threat just before 10 a.m., according to logs.

The call was part of a pattern of "swatting" calls the morning of Aug. 19 around local jurisdictions, Kloss told Patch. The incoming calls appeared to be coming from out of state, according to Kloss.

Swatting has been defined as making false calls to police in an effort to elicit a response.

After an employee reported the threat, police did a walkthrough of the restaurant and determined the threat to be false, Kloss said.

Here's what else police were dealing with recently around Greendale:

• Police cited a man for OWI early Wednesday morning after an officer found a vehicle with significant damage to its front near Broad Street and Northway, according to police logs.
• A vehicle was stolen from near Northway and Westway on Wednesday when a woman stopped to water plants at a nearby park and the car was left running nearby, according to police logs. Another car had pulled up next to the woman's vehicle when a person jumped in and stole the vehicle, logs said. The car was later found crashed near 97th Street and Lincoln Avenue after fleeing West Allis police, logs said.