North Gwinnett High School threat determined to be a hoax Tuesday

North Gwinnett High swatting turned out to be hoax

Gwinnett County police say a threatening call that forced North Gwinnett High School into a lockdown Tuesday was a swatting hoax linked to several other incidents.  

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee was placed on lockdown Tuesday after a threatening call that police described as a swatting hoax. Gwinnett County Police said the same phone number used to target the school was also linked to eight other similar calls made on Tuesday.

Police investigate swatting hoax

What we know:

The Gwinnett County School District confirmed that a threat called in just before noon on Tuesday was a hoax. Gwinnett County Police identified the incident as "swatting," which occurs when someone makes a false report to emergency services to cause a massive police response and panic.

Investigators found that the phone number connected to the North Gwinnett High School call was used in eight other swatting incidents on Tuesday. Police have not yet released the locations of those other targeted areas.

Students and parents react

What they're saying:

Isaac Lee, a junior at the school, was in his fifth-period class when the lockdown began. "All of a sudden, there was a hard lockdown," Lee said, describing how classmates pushed into a corner and scrambled to message people on their phones.

Caroline Ikpeama, a mother with two sons at the school, couldn’t believe it when Fox 5 told her the news. "Being a mother, you can't really describe how fearful that would be for anybody," Ikpeama said.

Lingering questions after scare

What we don't know:

Authorities have not yet identified who made the threatening calls or what motivated the wave of swatting incidents. While the phone number is linked to multiple calls, police have not said if they have a suspect in custody.

The specific nature of the threat made against the high school has also not been made public. No injuries were reported during the lockdown or the subsequent police response.