FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale has lifted a brief lockdown following a swatting incident, according to police.
Officers responded to the school, located at 1800 SW 5th Place, around 11:45 a.m., Wednesday.
The school went into the lockdown for a few hours out of an abundance of caution, officials said.
The lockdown disrupted exams for students.
“The seniors was supposed to take their finals, but I didn’t get to finish,” a student said.
“All of a sudden, police opens your door and it’s like ‘everybody hands up, heads down,’ it’s kind of scary,” Tyler Lind, another student, said.
Cell phone video from inside the school showed students sitting inside darkened classrooms as they waited for the all-clear signal for hours, while heavily armed police officers searched the school.
“You just get tired, and then the cops had to come in our classroom, make sure everybody was OK,” a student said.
“We were stuck there for like two hours,” said another student.
Following a sweep of school grounds, officers declared an all-clear on Wednesday afternoon just before dismissal as no threat was reported.
Authorities said a preliminary investigation shows the threat was due to a swatting incident.
The school will now return to normal operations and school pick-up will continue.
There will be an increased police presence in the school on Wednesday due to the incident.
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