PORTAGE (WKOW) — For students at Portage High School Thursday, what started off as any old day at school, quickly took a dark turn.
That’s because the students were the new targets of a nationwide “swatting” prank, or when police are alerted of a life-threatening situation that doesn’t exist.
It started around noon Thursday when Portage Police were alerted of a potential active shooter situation at Portage High School.
They responded within minutes, leaving students and teachers clueless as to what was going on.
“All of a sudden, there's a bunch of cops that come running in with like, riot gear and whatnot,” Portage Junior Hailee Holmes said. “They were yelling at us to get out of the lunchroom, to get out of the hallways — go somewhere, but here.”
Holmes and others had no idea what was happening, but they knew it was bad.
“I felt like my heart dropped,” senior Riley McDonald said. “I was like, really scared. I was kind of like shaking. And I was crying because I didn't know what was happening.”
Students took snapshots of what happened during the lockdown. Pictures shared on social media showed doors barricaded with desks and police with long guns outside.
Portage Police cleared the building by 1 p.m. and confirmed it was a part of a national prank.
But for students like Holmes and McDonald, it’s an experience they’ll never forget.
“I didn't think in a small town like Portage, something like that would ever happen,” McDonald said. “Since we didn't know if someone was actually there, it was just like, really scary.”
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