Misunderstanding shuts down I-20 near Weatherford

Eastbound traffic on Interstate 20 was shut down for a short time Thursday morning by what turned out to be a misunderstanding.

Tactical units from Parker County law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a man with a gun to his head at about 9:30 a.m. near mile marker 420, close to the I-20 merge with Interstate 30.

A passerby had noticed the man in a car on the side of the highway and thought he had a gun to his head, Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said. A police unit was sent to verify and that officer also thought the man had a gun, Fowler said.

The Special Operations Group, a combined tactical force of the Parker County Sheriff's Department and the Weatherford Police, responded to scene and determined that the man's SUV had broken down and that the item to his head was a cell phone, not a gun.

The SUV was loaded onto a trailer and the man was allowed to leave, Fowler said.

Traffic was flowing again by about 10:15 a.m.