LOS ANGELES, CA – A reported threat at Milken Community School in Brentwood prompted a lockdown and a large police response Monday afternoon, and the Los Angeles Police Department said the incident appears to be a swatting call, a fake emergency report to 911.
The LAPD received the call at about 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, reporting a threat at the private Jewish school for students in grades 6 through 12. The campus is on Zeldins Way, off Mulholland Drive and the 405 Freeway.
The school was placed on lockdown while officers searched the campus for any threat. The department said the scene was rendered safe and that there was no evidence of a threat as of 3 p.m.
The lockdown was later lifted, and students and staff received an all-clear notice.
Officers search campus during lockdown
After the call came in, a large number of LAPD officers responded to the school. The department said officers found no threat when they arrived.
The school was locked down for the duration of the search. Officers went through the campus looking for any sign of a threat, and by 3 p.m. the LAPD said none had been found.
The LAPD said the scene was rendered safe. The department has not released a news release on the response, and its account of the afternoon came in statements to reporters.
Call first described as an active-shooter report
According to initial reports, the call was first described as a report of an active shooter. The LAPD later clarified that it concerned a possible bomb threat.
No injuries were reported, according to initial reports.
The shift in how the call was described is part of the sequence of the afternoon. The department’s most recent account is that officers found no threat on the campus.
LAPD says call appears to be swatting
The LAPD said the incident appears to be a swatting call. In swatting, a caller reports a fake emergency to 911 to draw an emergency response to a location.
The department said the investigation into who made the call is ongoing. It had not identified the caller or released a motive.
Because the department described the incident as appearing to be a swatting call, that assessment reflects the LAPD’s current view rather than a finding in a completed investigation.
How the FBI describes swatting
The FBI describes swatting as making a hoax call to 9-1-1 to draw a response from law enforcement, usually a SWAT team. In its guidance on the crime of swatting, the bureau says the practice is a serious crime with potentially dangerous consequences.
The FBI also says swatting can be expensive for the agencies that respond. Those costs involve the officers and resources sent to a scene that turns out to have no emergency.
The bureau says swatting attempts and hoaxes should be reported to local law enforcement. Tips can also go to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or at tips.fbi.gov.
The campus and the response area
Milken Community School is in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, on Zeldins Way off Mulholland Drive. The location sits close to the 405 Freeway.
The call drew a large police presence to the campus on a school day. The lockdown covered the students and staff on site while officers searched.
The Los Angeles Police Department handled the response, and no other agency has been named as having taken part in the search.
Investigation into the caller continues
Anyone with information about the call is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD said its investigation into who made the call remains ongoing. The department had not announced an arrest or named a suspect as of Monday.
