A phone call claiming a man shot his child and was holding a woman hostage led Lancaster city police to lock down five schools and a major road a little before noon Thursday - but the call turned out to be a hoax.
Officers responded around 11:36 a.m. to the 1200 block of Wabank Road in Lancaster city, near Hamilton Elementary School, the Kensington Club Apartments and Bright Sides Baptist Church, which sits at Wabank’s intersection with Hershey Avenue.
Police closed Wabank Road between Charles Road and Hershey Avenue for about 90 minutes and evacuated people in building where the call originated (though police have not publicly disclosed the location of that building).
Officers who entered the home found it empty. Police said this was a “swatting” call, in which someone sends police and emergency services as a form of harassment or a prank.
Five schools were put on external lockdown, including Hamilton at 1300 Wabank Road, according to School District of Lancaster spokesman Adam Aurand. The others were E.R. Martin School, 2000 Wabank Road; Lafayette Elementary, 1000 Fremont St.; Wheatland Middle and Smith-Wade-El Elementary schools, both in the 900 block of Hamilton Park Drive near Lancaster Community Park.
External lockdown means nobody was permitted to enter or leave the building, and classes continued as usual. He said families were notified by text message when the lockdowns began. Hamilton and E.R. Martin were put in lockdown at 11:45, Aurand said. Lafayette, Wheatland and Smith Wade-El Elementary went on lockdown at 12:30 p.m. The schools reopened by 12:50. Wabank Road reopened by 1.
Police are investigating the call and are asking anyone with information to contact the department at 717-735-3301 or submit a tip on their Crimewatch webpage.
