PLANO, Texas — Plano police said a "hoax call" about a mass shooting at Collin College Plano led to the evacuation of buildings on campus.
There were multiple police vehicles at the scene, and chopper video showed students and staff had evacuated the building. Plano police originally tweeted that there was a possible active shooter at the campus, then updated that there were no injuries reported.
Plano police told WFAA in an email that it had a hoax call come into its 911 center at around 9:45 a.m. Thursday.
Collin College sent the following statement:
"On Thursday, April 13 Collin College officials were made aware of a possible assailant at the Plano campus. The safety of our students, employees and visitors is paramount, and the Plano Campus went into immediate lockdown. Upon investigation it was discovered to be a false report. An 'all clear' was issued and those remaining in the building were asked to evacuate. Classes and normal operations will resume at 1 p.m."
Students told WFAA they were shocked to see what was happening on campus.
“I see all these cops here and I’m thinking like the worst already,” was a thought shared by a student named Augie.
“I was a little angry I already had class, and I just wanted to finish class and be done for the day," said student Kevin Martinez. "Just finished my normal routine."
More than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the scene. School administrators immediately issued the campus alert system, letting all students, faculty and staff know of the situation and asking them to respond accordingly. Several Plano ISD schools also followed suit.
“Initially we asked students to shelter in place,” said Steve Matthews, the Senior VP of External Relations at Collin College.
Other Texas schools on Thursday were reporting similar incidents with hoax calls, including Texas A&M in College Station, Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Galen College of Nursing School in San Antonio, Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Woodsboro ISD in Refugio County, and Baylor in Waco, according to authorities there.
Officials have not confirmed if the calls are related.
The string of swatting calls made Thursday came on the heels of a similar incident at Oklahoma University. Over the weekend, University leaders confirmed they were the target of international swatting after reports of an active shooter on campus proved to be false.
In every case, first responders prepared for the worst, taking up valuable time and city resources.
“This is a very high-profile incident, there were calls for service and things that are delayed, but because of the nature of this call, we have no alternative,” said Plano PD Officer Andrae Smith regarding the incident at Collin College.
Texas DPS released the following statement to WFAA sister station, KENS 5 in San Antonio:
"The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is continuously monitoring events and their impact on public safety. While we do not discuss operational specifics, DPS will continue to work with local law enforcement and adjust operations as needed address any potential threats."
The FBI sent WFAA sister station, CBS19 in Tyler, the following statement:
"The FBI is aware of hoax threats or swatting incidents that have occurred nationwide and throughout the state of Texas, including today in the Tyler area. The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately."
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