Officials from the Fairfield Police Department say a 15-year-old has been arrested in connection with a swatting incident that prompted a lockdown at Vanden High School Feb. 2 following a report of an active shooter on campus.
Jennifer Brantley, Public Information Officer for the Fairfield Police Department, said Vanden and two neighboring schools were placed on a precautionary lockdown following a call to dispatch at approximately 8:25 a.m. Feb. 2 where the caller stated someone at the school had a gun.
Officials quickly cleared the school of a threat and determined the incident was most likely caused by a swatting type incident. According to Brantley, swatting incidents occur when “a prank call is made to emergency services in an attempt to get a large number of police officers, including SWAT (hence the name) to converge on a particular address.”
Brantley said the incident was thoroughly investigated by Officer Moran, the School Resource Officer at Vanden and his investigation led to the identification of a 15-year-old Vanden student as the person responsible for the call.
“At no time was there an active shooter situation, nor any credible threat to students or staff,” said officials.
Moran went to the home of the student, whose name will be kept confidential because they are a minor, and they were arrested and booked into the Solano County Juvenile Hall.
“The prank call made by the student not only forced the lockdown of multiple schools in the area, but it also resulted in anxiety and concern for parents, students, staff, and the community at large,” said Brantley. “The Fairfield Police Department does not tolerate behaviors that waste our community’s time and resources, such as this “SWATting” incident. Actions like these – particularly those that incite fear and panic – aren’t humorous and have consequences. Please, think before you act.”