Florida police responded to a call about an armed suspect at the Bocan Raton High School in Florida which turned out to be a hoax. Cops were dispatched to the location only to find nothing suspicious on the campus.
12 News said the school was put on a precautionary code-red lockdown, while authorities searched the area. Boca Raton Police later confirmed on Twitter that the school was cleared and no suspicious items or persons were found. A callout was sent to parents that their children were safe and said the initial reports of an armed threat on campus were unconfirmed. Parents were requested at the time not to come to the campus while police were continuing their search.
Boca Raton Police also said on Twitter that multiple schools in the area experienced similar reports and were thus placed on lockdown. Authorities later confirmed these reports to be a hoax and were nothing more than a “swatting” incident.
We responded to a report of an armed subject at Boca Raton High School. Numerous @BocaPolice officers are on scene checking the school. At this time, nothing suspicious has been located. Officers continue to check.
— Boca Raton Police (@BocaPolice) October 11, 2022
The term “swatting” is a practical joke where an individual calls emergency services to report a fabricated crime to get the police, particularly a SWAT team, to raid a given address, only to find nothing, or arrest an innocent person implied to be dangerous or committing a crime by the caller. Some incidents can result in death, such as the case of 28-year-old Andrew Finch, who was shot and killed by police at his front door.
Police responded to yet another swatting incident, this time at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Tuesday. Florida police tweeted that their search of the school had been completed and nothing of suspicion or any evidence of a crime had been found, remarking their official investigation behind the call was still on-going
Public Schools in Miami-Dade said that they also experienced swatting pranks in schools around the district. Parents were urged to discuss this illegal activity with their children.
UPDATE: As of 10:23am, Boca Raton High School has been cleared. Nothing suspicious was located.
— Boca Raton Police (@BocaPolice) October 11, 2022
Please note: Other South FL schools were placed on lockdown after receiving similar reports today. @BocaPolice https://t.co/XyDNVl2wsv
The school district tweeted condemning these pranks, saying they have a zero-tolerance for this kind of activity. They continued by saying that a prank threat against the school is considered to be a federal crime that can lead to an arrest alongside a felony record. They added a plea for parents to speak to their children about the damaging consequences such pranks can have.
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