Chehalis police were dispatched to W.F. West High School at 9:56 a.m. Thursday for a report of a person at the school with a rifle, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
The school was placed on lockdown while a search of the campus was conducted. No rifle was located, according to police.
The police department learned there were similar types of calls in Aberdeen and Shelton.
The Chehalis Police Department thanked all agencies that responded and provided assistance, including the Centralia Police Department, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol, the Department of Corrections and the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team.
The Chehalis School District sent out a notification following the threat reporting W.F. West High School was on lockdown Thursday morning due to an “outside threat.” After the search of the grounds, regular school activities resumed.
W.F. West Principal Bob Walters provided a statement for parents.
“This morning police received a phone call indicating a threat in the W. F. West parking lot, so they advised that the school remain in lockdown while law enforcement conducted an investigation,” he wrote. “Because the police had yet to apprehend the suspect, they advised that the school remain in lockdown while law enforcement was still in the area. There was not any direct safety threat to our students but we took precaution with student safety and followed the advice of local authority. Police indicate that the phone call may have been a criminal harassment tactic known as ‘swatting’ and do not believe there was a valid threat to the school.”
