Suspected swatting incident disrupts day at Jones College Prep in Chicago's South Loop
What police believe was a swatting incident disrupted the school day at Jones College Prep in Chicago's South Loop Wednesday afternoon.
At 2:05 p.m., the high school at 700 S. State St. received multiple calls of a bomb threat and a person with a gun, according to Chicago Police Central Control Group Deputy Chief Joe Bird. Based on the nature of the call, officers rushed to the scene, secured the school, and swept the school buildings, Bird said.
There was no bomb or person with a gun.
Students were dismissed shortly afterward, but were later let back into the school for extracurricular activities, Bird said.
"At this point, we believe it was a swatting incident," Bird said. "We know today was a very serious situation for the school, the community, and the families, and we just want to make sure everyone knows that we worked with CPS safety and security to ensure the safety of everyone."
In a swatting incident, someone falsely claims a bomb or mass shooting at a given location in order to draw a SWAT team response and potentially trigger a tragedy.
Bird said another school in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District on the Southwest Side was also reported to have been subjected to a swatting incident Wednesday. Dispatch reports identified this second school as John Hancock College Preparatory High School, at 5347 W. 64th Pl. in the Clearing neighborhood.
"Anyone who makes a threat to a school is a very serious matter," Bird said. "It frightens everybody. It frightens the students, the administrators, the community — and that's why the officers responded as swiftly as they did."
