Santa Ana High bomb threat prompted hour-long school lockdown, no one hurt
SANTA ANA, Calif. - An apparent bomb threat placed Santa Ana High School on lockdown for more than an hour before the school was eventually given an all-clear sign.
Officers responded to the 500 block of W. Walnut Street around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. According to Santa Ana police, someone called the police department and made a bomb threat towards the school.
Santa Ana police originally reported that it was a student who had called in the threat, and that they were barricaded on campus and possibly armed. However, police later clarified that they were unsure whether the caller was a student and whether the person was or was not on campus.
The lockdown was lifted at 4:20 p.m. when police cleared the campus of any threat; they did not find any suspect or a bomb.
Many students said they’ve never experienced anything like this. They were told to sit under their desks as officers searched the campus. Some students said they had no idea what was going on.
Before students were eventually released, Santa Ana Unified sent a letter earlier in the afternoon to parents notifying them of the lockdown. Prior to the lockdown being lifted, officials say no one is allowed in or out of the campus while officers are on scene.
"The Santa Ana Police Department and Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department are on site responding to the incident. Students are safe and all security protocols are being followed," read a portion of the letter.
No one was hurt in Thursday's tense situation, officials say.
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