CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Oakleaf High School was briefly placed on lockdown on Tuesday while the Clay County Sheriff’s Office investigated an “unconfirmed threat” to the school.
Around 10:30 a.m., the sheriff’s office gave the all-clear and said the call was part of a series of statewide “swatting” events, or calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement.
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“Several other counties across Florida have received a similar message and our investigative team has tracked a threat similar in language up in Connecticut several times dating back the last few months,” the sheriff’s office said.
A similar phone threat Tuesday morning prompted a lockdown at three Central Florida schools, according to WKMG.
Last month, an 18-year-old California man pleaded guilty to four counts of making interstate threats to injure the person of another after allegedly making 375 swatting and threat calls. In May 2023, the man made a threat to a religious institution in Sanford, Florida. In that threat, he claimed to have an illegally modified AR-15, a Glock 17 pistol, pipe bombs, and Molotov cocktails. He said that he was going to imminently “commit a mass shooting” and “kill everyone” he said.
“Swatting poses severe danger to first responders and victims, wastes significant time and resources, and creates fear in communities. The FBI will continue to work with partners to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who engages in these activities,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate.
