MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Several South Florida schools were the target of a series of “swatting” hoaxes Tuesday morning, scaring students and parents and leading police to swarm multiple campuses.
At least nine schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties were targeted by false threats.
Large police presences could be seen at Ronald Reagan High School in Doral, West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines and at Miami Central High School.
[RELATED: List: A dozen school threats in Broward, Miami-Dade County since school year began]
At West Broward High School, parents said they’ve had enough.
“Sometimes I wish that I could take my kids out, I wish I (could) start over again,” parent Anna Venterini said. “It’s a game of Russian roulette. You wonder if this is going to be a day that you are living another parent’s worst nightmare.”
It was complete chaos at Miami Central as parents rushed to take their children out of school.
“My child called me talking about ‘code red 911,’” parent Shaynae Anderson said. “I don’t know, so I had to come get my child.”
Students said they heard reports of an active shooter on campus, so they hid in corners and away from doors for safety.
“It was a scary moment, they were like panicking when they (made) the announcement,” 10th-grader Talia Landingham said.
Broward County Public Schools sent this message to parents:
“This message is to inform you that this morning, out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of our students and staff, all District high schools were placed on Secure status while law enforcement investigated threats to various campuses. At this time, the schools have been cleared. The threats are believed to be unfounded and schools have returned to normal operations.”
Local police, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are looking into the threats.
“These types of calls pose a big problem for us here in law enforcement because it drains our resources,” Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Edwin Lopez said.