Recent threats that shut down Lakeville, Elk River schools likely swatting hoaxes, BCA says

Anonymous threats that shut down Minnesota schools this month were likely swatting incidents, a type of hoax that state investigators believe are becoming more common. 

On Tuesday, someone sent threats mentioning weapons and explosives to a tip line operated by Lakeville school officials. The threats were enough to force evacuations at Lakeville South High School and Lakeville North High School as police swarmed both campuses. 

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that the nature of the threats meant that local law enforcement needed to get kids out of the buildings. 

"They had to respond appropriately as they did to ensure the safety of those children," Evans said. 

Evans said that local police work closely with school officials throughout Minnesota to properly evaluate threats. According to the BCA, districts have reported at least 47 threats or incidents involving firearms on school grounds since July 2025, which is when a new law mandating those kinds of reports took effect. 

Districts are only required to compile reports by the summer, not throughout the year, so it's unlikely that the recent incidents in Lakeville and Elk River are included in that count.

"Over the past few years, we've seen an increase in the number of both hoaxes and we've seen real threats to our school districts," Evans said. 

The threat of an explosive near Elk River High School came a week before the evacuations in Lakeville. Elk River Police Chief David Kuhny said they followed protocol established with Elk River school leadership when the anonymous threat came in via voicemail that morning, prompting the district to send children home as law enforcement from Elk River and partners in the metro investigated. 

"It's a decision that's always based off of public safety," Kuhny said. 

In both Elk River and Lakeville, no evidence of weaponry or explosives was found. While investigations are ongoing, Evans said that the evidence points to swatting; he said in those cases, the culprits are normally nowhere near the school district that is targeted. He said that they've made arrests in other states outside Minnesota, but noted that often the threat comes from abroad. 

"It is frustrating because you know it's not just the work that we put into [the response] but it's also the parents concerned with what's going on in their child's day," Kuhny said. 

The two Lakeville high schools remained closed on Wednesday and are expected to reopen on Thursday. 

"Today we heard many stories of how our students and staff acted with strength and resilience in the face of adversity, coming together and caring for one another. We are truly grateful for our wonderful students and staff, and our entire community who continues to step up in support of our students, staff and schools," a Lakeville spokesperson said in a statement.