'Swatting' incident prompts lockdown at Lake City High School

COEUR d'ALENE — Lake City High School went into lockdown Wednesday after an anonymous caller falsely claimed there was a man in the parking lot with "firearms and a bomb," according to authorities.

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department received a call around 1 p.m. from someone claiming to be a student at LCHS. The caller said she had received a message from her boyfriend containing a photo of firearms and explosives and disconnected before dispatchers could obtain more information, according to police. 

The school immediately initiated lockdown procedures and additional officers arrived on scene within a minute, according to the Coeur d'Alene Police Department. Officers secured the parking lot and began to sweep the school for the suspect. 

"During this search, no suspicious people or items were found," a news release said. "The school was also checked for any possible threats." 

"Out of an abundance of caution," police also responded to Coeur d'Alene High School and completed the same checks. The school did not go into lockdown or a safety hold. Police did not locate any suspect or assailant. 

Athol Elementary went into a safety hold due to its proximity to Lake City High School, according to the Coeur d'Alene School District. The hold was lifted and there was no danger, authorities said. 

"This incident appears to be a case of swatting, a growing issue across the country, where false threats divert significant law enforcement resources," a news release said. "Two additional swatting calls were received today in the Boise area." 

Swatting is the act of making a false report of a serious emergency to trigger a large law enforcement response, often involving a SWAT team, to an unsuspecting person's location. 

Wednesday's lockdown is the latest in a string of apparent swatting incidents throughout North Idaho.  

A similar event happened May 1 at the Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d'Alene, resulting in an evacuation. 

Benewah County Sheriff's personnel responded to a confirmed swatting incident at St. Maries High School in May, which sent the school into lockdown and prompted an emergency response from police. 

In August, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office responded to a false report of a shooting at a Wallace residence. 

An investigation into the source of Wednesday's call is ongoing.