Mid-Michigan schools are the target of fake threat calls

SAGINAW CO, Mich. (WNEM) — Four schools in Michigan received fake threatening or “swatting” calls that caused them to go into security mode, according to law enforcement.

Saginaw Township police said Saginaw County dispatch received a call at 11:53 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, about a person armed with a rifle in the Mackinaw High School bathroom who was threatening to attack students to shoot at the school.

While police were responding to the incident, dispatch received another call regarding the same scenario at Carrollton High School. The agency responded to the school and concluded it was an attempted strike.

Carrollton High School released the following statement regarding the incident:

Today we received a notification that there was an online chat which was then sent to several crisis intervention hotlines. As a precautionary measure, we immediately placed our students in safe mode. Our School Resource Officers, other Carrollton Township police officers and administrators visited each school and ensured our students, staff and schools were safe. All buildings are secured and regular school operations have resumed. We remain vigilant against all threats to school safety. Again, all students and staff at Carrollton Public Schools are safe.

Saginaw Township Community Schools released a statement saying all of its schools had moved into safe mode and Mackinaw High School had been placed on lockdown after a crisis hotline that specifically mentioned Mackinaw High School was called. a potential headline had been sent.

The district said after a thorough investigation it was determined there was no threat to students or staff and security measures were lifted.

Around the same time as the other schools, Midland High School was also placed in secure mode due to a swatting call.

The school said law enforcement confirmed there was no credible threat and security measures had been lifted.

In Oakland County, the sheriff's office said it also responded to Oxford High School for what it believed was a fake call, saying an unknown caller reported a person with an AK-47 in the bathroom around 11:45 a.m found. Type gun and a pipe bomb and threatened to shoot everyone and detonate the bomb.

The sheriff's office said the fake call came from the Netherlands and was not credible, but sent several cars to the school as a precaution.

“Every threat is fully investigated and we will always seek to hold those responsible accountable,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “We have even worked with partners in Europe to prosecute people in the past.”

Stay with TV5 as we continue to monitor this incident.

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