A suburban high school was swept by armed authorities, part of the building put on lockdown and the other evacuated in response to an anonymous caller who claimed to police that they were in a bathroom at the school and armed with guns and explosives before making threats on Tuesday afternoon.
Around 10:45 a.m., a call came into the non-emergency line for the Oak Forest Police Department from a male caller who said he had a firearm and was inside a bathroom at Oak Forest High School, located at 15201 Central Avenue.
The caller also said he had access to an additional firearm outside the school and an explosive device that he made at home, police said, and both threatened to shoot people inside the school and claimed that he had already shot someone.
Because of the “nature and specificity” of the call, police “immediately responded to the school and treated the call as a potential active threat,” authorities said.
The part of the school surrounding where the caller claimed to be was evacuated and the rest of the school was put on lockdown, police said. A police response ensued that involved several law enforcement agencies and specialized resources.
How the investigation unfolded
Officers armed with guns and dogs could be seen entering the building. Inside, video taken by students showed officers in tactical gear carrying long guns and entering dark classrooms where students had sheltered and turned off the lights.
“Is everybody OK in here?” the officers asked.
“Yes,” the group replied before officers radioed back that the room had been cleared.
Throughout their investigation, authorities “developed information that increasingly indicated the reported threat was false,” police said.
“That information allowed Oak Forest Police to provide increasingly reassuring updates as the incident progressed. However, before concluding the response, law enforcement continued the systematic process necessary to completely clear the school and confirm that there was no actual threat,” police said. “The school was ultimately cleared, and no firearm, explosive device, or individual matching the caller’s claims was located.”
Authorities said at the conclusion of their investigation they were able to determine “there is no evidence that an armed individual or explosive device was ever present at Oak Forest High School or that students or staff were ever in actual danger from the reported threat.”
What was it like for students and parents?
Students reported hearing an alarm for a lockdown before the scene unfolded.
“I thought it was going to be fake for a second, a drill, then it was actually real so we all sat in the corner of the classroom with the lights off. We had no phones yet,” said sophomore David Aguilar. “The officers came in, they checked on us, people with the cops they came in with guns and checked on us, we’re okay. Some people were scared, some people didn’t care.”
Outside, a heavy police presence alarmed parents who had been notified of the situation at the school.
“I got more worried when I started opening social media and I saw helicopters and the SWAT were on top of the school … It’s like you drop them off, you think everything is good and safe but there’s a lot going around that you do sometimes worry,” said parent Mercedes Arellano.
The all-clear was given by police and SWAT that no threat was found around 1 p.m. and students began being dismissed from the building.
No students, staff or responding personnel were injured.
What happens next?
Local authorities referred the investigation into the source of the false threat to the FBI and said Oak Forest police will continue to assist if needed.
The investigation remains ongoing.
