Latrobe police say they identified a 9-year-old who is accused of making a prank 911 call Wednesday, causing a lockdown at Latrobe Elementary School and prompting a response by multiple emergency and police units.
“We were able to positively identify the juvenile who made the call, but, unfortunately at this point, I can’t say much more about it because it’s still an ongoing, sensitive investigation,” Chief John Sleasman said.
He declined to say whether the child is a district student. On the call to Westmoreland 911, the juvenile claimed several shots had been fired inside the elementary school, state police said.
City and state police rushed to the Cedar Street school at 12:54 p.m.
District officials locked down all school buildings. However, local and state investigators working with school administrators quickly determined “the provided information was false and there was no threat to elementary school students or staff.”
The situation was cleared in about an hour, and no one was hurt. Numerous parents gathered outside the police perimeter on Lincoln Avenue near the school after receiving word of the threat and seeing the large emergency response.
“The agencies believe this threat may have been a prank,” district officials declared in a Facebook post shortly after the incident was cleared.
The child believed to have made the call was identified about two hours later, Sleasman said.
Investigators will meet with multiple county agencies impacted by the threat and the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, he added.
“We still have to follow up on a number of things,” said Sleasman, who declined to say whether the child would be adjudicated as an adult or in juvenile court.
“I will tell you the level of cooperation among the responding agencies from state police, Mutual Aid Ambulance, Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department, Greater Latrobe School District personnel and other surrounding departments was just outstanding,” he said.
