Swatting hoax leads to lockdown at Dundee-Crown High School

A threat of a shooting at Dundee-Crown High School that led to a lockdown at the Carpentersville school and a massive police response Wednesday morning was deemed a "swatting" hoax.

Carpentersville Police Chief Todd Shaver said police received a call around 9 a.m. from someone threatening to start shooting at the school. But after a search of the school, the call was deemed to be swatting, Shaver said.

"Swatting" refers to when someone makes a prank call hoping to draw a law enforcement response to a particular address.

The call prompted a mutual aid response involving dozens of police from neighboring communities aiding in a room-to-room search of the school and evacuation of students.

No one was injured. Some students appeared visibly shaken as they reunited with their parents after the lockdown.

"Unfortunately, swatting has impacted many school districts in Illinois and nationwide," Community Unit District 300 Superintendent Susan Harkin wrote in a statement.

She said the district takes such incidents seriously and urged parents to talk to their children about it and access the district's "Let's Talk" communication tool on District 300's website if families have questions or concerns.

Students at Perry Elementary School also were asked to shelter in place due to the lockdown at Dundee-Crown High School.