A post on the Nextdoor app in a South Lubbock neighborhood prompted residents to call police and a local school to take extra safety precautions. After further investigating, the report may have been a false alarm.
The post was made in the Cooper Ridge neighborhood, and stated that a man was “carrying what looked to be a machine gun” down 111th Street, wearing a black hoodie.
Lubbock Cooper North Elementery School was “placed on Alert” for about 15 minutes Thursday afternoon, “due to reports of a suspicious person.”
“LCISD and LPD investigated and determined that there was no threat,” a district spokesperson stated.
The post, which has since been deleted, sparked comments from dozens of upset neighbors, when it was discovered the whole thing may have been a hoax.
“Unfortunately the person who posted it thought it would be amusing to see if this app really worked and he put up false information,” said one neighbor. “I really am extremely upset that this person decided it would be a good idea.”
“I don’t think he actually saw anything,” said another. “I believe he was trying to make a point.”
“He needs charges filed against him,” a third neighbor added.
The Lubbock Police Department said it would look into the allegations of a false report.
Below is the Texas Penal Code for a False Alarm or Report:
Sec. 42.06. FALSE ALARM OR REPORT. (a) A person commits an offense if he knowingly initiates, communicates or circulates a report of a present, past, or future bombing, fire, offense, or other emergency that he knows is false or baseless and that would ordinarily:
(1) cause action by an official or volunteer agency organized to deal with emergencies;
(2) place a person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury; or
(3) prevent or interrupt the occupation of a building, room, place of assembly, place to which the public has access, or aircraft, automobile, or other mode of conveyance.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor unless the false report is of an emergency involving a public or private institution of higher education or involving a public primary or secondary school, public communications, public transportation, public water, gas, or power supply or other public service, in which event the offense is a state jail felony.
