Multiple high schools throughout the state of Florida went into lockdown mode Tuesday as police responded to calls of active shooters at the same time.
The calls came at the same time as the closing arguments for the Parkland shooter were underway.
High Schools in Pinellas, Sarasota, Broward, Miami-Dade, Orange, Polk, and Palm Beach counties were affected by the hoax.
“Our search of the West Broward campus has been completed, and no threats were located. The school remains safe & secure. Our agency will continue to investigate the source of the swatting call<” said Pembroke Pines Police Department.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office received a call about an active shooter at Riverview High School.
“We have NOT received a report of any gunfire & believe this to be a “swatting” call. We are treating this as an active shooter incident until proven otherwise. We expect to have the entire school cleared shortly,” said SCSO.
“Today was overwhelming for parents, students, and community members alike. Just after 12:45, we received what detectives feel confident was a “swatting” call to our 911 center. The caller indicated an active shooter at Riverview High School,” said Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
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According to WTVJ, Miami-Dade police said their 911 call center traced one of the calls from outside the U.S.
At 12:22 pm, the Pinellas Park Police Department and multiple other local agencies responded to Pinellas Park High School in reference to a report of an active shooter.
“.Currently, there are no known injuries and the police department does not believe there is a threat to students or the community at this time. It is believed this incident is a falsely reported threat,” said PPPD.
At 12:35 p.m., officers in St. Petersburg responded to a call claiming there was an active shooter on the St. Petersburg Catholic High School Campus, 6333 9th Avenue North.
“After searching the school, the call was determined to be a HOAX,” said St. Petersburg Police Department.
Swatting has seen a rise nationally, but law enforcement officials said it’s a waste of resources and tax dollars, and it can be extremely dangerous.
“Whether it is a few minutes or a lot of time, it involves our officers responding to the scene, EMS, paramedics. So, all of those resources that have been used, could be used for something else,” said Robin Tillett, spokesperson for the Lakeland Police Department.
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