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CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A 911 call reporting an active shooter that prompted a Chula Vista high school to be placed on lockdown turned out to a hoax, police said. It was one of several false school threat incidents in California Wednesday.
Around 1 p.m., a person who sounded like a man called Chula Vista police saying that he was locked in a classroom at Mater Dei Catholic High School with several other students, Sgt. Anthony Molina stated in a news release. The caller also said others nearby were injured, and he had seen two men with rifles on campus. Police confirmed the caller’s phone number was from out of state.
Authorities followed safety protocols in placing the school on lockdown, as well as Veterans Elementary School as a precaution due to its proximity to Mater Dei Catholic High.
Chula Vista police officers and Southwestern College officers responded to the school, where a CVPD officer was already on Mater Dei’s campus working on reports at its parking lot, according to Molina. The officer advised to police that the campus appeared to be operating with no issues.
When the team of law enforcement arrived to the scene, a drone was used to scan the area, confirming that there were “no obvious indications of an actual threat,” Molina said.
Officers learned from school staff that the room number mentioned by the caller did not exist.
Classrooms continued to be cleared and were eventually confirmed safe by police, per the CVPD official. Mater Dei Catholic High School was taken out of lockdown while Veterans Elementary was removed from Secure Campus status.
Authorities also received calls about a threat at High Tech High School in the Point Loma area. That was checked out and deemed safe by police.
Outside of San Diego County, Lancaster High School in Los Angeles County was among several California schools evacuated Wednesday after reports of a person with a gun on campus. Those reports were also deemed as hoaxes.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or submit a tip via P3tips (online or mobile application) http://p3tips.com/409 if they wish to remain anonymous.
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