False 'Dangerous Situation' Report Prompts School Lockdown

 

A lockdown at Emmerson Middle School today (March 29) was lifted after it was determined that a story of a dangerous situation reported there was made up by two students who skipped out of school early, according to school officials.
The lockdown was lifted at 2 p.m., said Pomona Unified School District spokesman Ryan Hightower said.
Officers were called to the campus earlier today after two female students, who had left school early, told family members a made up a story about some kind of danger at the campus, Hightower said. He did not elaborate on what the girls said. According to a KCAL/Ch. 9 report, one of the girls told her mother that she had seen a man with a gun in a lunch line.
But the story prompted a call, possibly from a family member, to school officials who in turn called Pomona Police to investigate, Hightower said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, district security conducted a full search of the campus just to make sure the students were completely safe,” Hightower said.
Pomona Police worked with the school and eventually it was found there was no danger, Hightower said. According to a City News Service report, every classroom was checked.
Just after 2 p.m., it was business as usual at the school although a few parents did opt to pick up their children following the lockdown, Hightower said. The incident ended near the end of the school day.
If nothing else, the incident provided the Pomona Unified School District a chance to work with Pomona Police.
“It was a great example of cooperation for us,” Hightower said.