Police sweep MGM National Harbor after reported bomb threat, no device found

Prince George’s County police swept MGM National Harbor Sunday morning after a caller reported a possible bomb threat, but officers found no credible threat and no evacuation was ordered. The response turned the Forest Heights resort into a rapid security scene, with police arriving around 9:20 a.m. and moving quickly to search the property in the 100 block of MGM National Avenue.

Authorities said officers locked down the area while they checked the casino and hotel complex. The decision not to evacuate suggested the threat was treated as precautionary rather than confirmed, but the pace of the response showed how quickly one call can disrupt a high-profile destination that draws visitors from across the Washington region.

That matters in Prince George’s County because MGM National Harbor is more than a gaming hall. Opened on Dec. 8, 2016, as a $1.4 billion resort, it sits at the center of the county’s entertainment and hospitality economy and is widely promoted as having the largest gaming floor in the area. The property also feeds public revenue. In October 2024, Prince George’s County received about $2.8 million from MGM-related video lottery terminal and table game taxes, a reminder that any interruption at the resort carries consequences beyond a single morning’s police work.

The Prince George’s County Police Department, which county government says is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in Maryland, serves nearly 900,000 residents and business owners. A threat call at MGM put that scale to the test, forcing officers to secure a venue that functions as a casino, hotel, entertainment hub and major employer all at once.

The incident also lands against a backdrop of recent violence at the same site. MGM National Harbor was the scene of a fatal shooting in December 2025, a fact that makes police response to any reported threat there especially sensitive. In a place where crowds, cash, events and overnight guests converge, authorities have little room to treat a warning casually.

For county officials and residents alike, the episode exposed the core challenge of protecting one of Prince George’s most visible destinations. The resort’s opening was a milestone for National Harbor and Oxon Hill, but its size and traffic also mean a single threat can ripple through guest confidence, worker safety and regional perceptions of security. Sunday’s sweep ended without finding a device, yet it showed how much depends on fast communication and disciplined response when the county’s marquee venue is targeted.