Umbrella mistaken for rifle at Florida Publix, police say

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – An umbrella caused a brief evacuation of the North Merritt Island Publix on Friday morning when it was mistaken for a gun, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.

A call to 911 reported a man had entered the store about 11:30 a.m. with a rifle slung over his shoulder, prompting a large response of about 10 Brevard County sheriff's deputies. The store is at 1850 N. Courtenay Parkway.

"The deputies were able to quickly identify the subject and conclude there was no threat," said Brevard County Sheriff's Office spokesman Tod Goodyear. "The customers and store employees were very cooperative in assisting, which helped the deputies on scene make this determination as easily as possible." 

The threat was quickly assessed and the store returned to business as usual.