Alleged 'Swatting' Incidents Prompt Police Responses, Lockdowns at Erie, Meadville High Schools
Police are investigating a series of swatting incidents that sent police to schools across the state of Pennsylvania including Erie and Meadville.
Officers responded to Erie High School around 10:45 a.m. after receiving an anonymous call about a shooting at the school.
The school was placed on lockdown, and police quickly secured the school and determined there was no active threat.
Police determined the 911 call was a hoax, and the school district said "the call appears to be part of a larger 'swatting' incident affecting school districts statewide."
Meadville City Police also responded to a false report of an active shooter at Meadville Area Senior High School on Wednesday morning, according to the city and Crawford Central School District. The school was also cleared.
Erie News Now has learned the FBI will be handling the investigation.
Swatting is the term used to describe when a prank call to 911 in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.
Schools in the Altoona/Johnstown and Pittsburgh areas reported similar incidents Wednesday. Law enforcement believes the swatting calls may have been computer-generated.
The incident comes nearly a year after a shooting inside Erie High School on April 5, 2022. A juvenile was arrested for the incident which injured another student.
