On Thursday, Fullerton was the target of multiple bomb threats that prompted significant responses from law enforcement. As reported by KTLA, a series of false bomb threats began with a call to Troy High School at around 1:30 p.m., claiming that explosives had been placed on the campus. This was swiftly followed by three more threats within the hour, targeting Fullerton Union High School, Sunny Hills High School, and Fern Drive Elementary School.
Officials from the Fullerton Police Department and other agencies, preparing to weigh the veracity of these threats, were spread thin as they responded to each site with bomb-sniffing dogs. In the chaos with parents waiting, the lockdown at Fern Drive Elementary was particularly tense, according to ABC7. None of the campuses was found to be under actual threats, as no devices were discovered.
The unsettling streak of hoaxes continued into the evening when at approximately 5:40 p.m., a call came into St. Jude Medical Center, indicating a bomb had been planted in the emergency room. CBS News Los Angeles detailed that the emergency room was evacuated and later, around 6:05 p.m., patients and staff were given the all-clear to return. This pattern of distressing interruptions marked the day with a shadow of urgent concern.
The Fullerton Police Department stated that detectives are actively attempting to identify the source of the calls. "The Fullerton Police Department deployed multiple resources to all four schools, including assistance from outside agencies and the use of explosives-detection canines to search the campuses," said officers who worked closely with school administrators, as mentioned in an article on ABC7. The community, while relieved that the threats were hoaxes, remains unsettled by the rampant nature of the scares.
