Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther confirmed on Thursday the threat that required Chaparral High School to lock down on Wednesday came from outside the country during an appearance on KTAR News 92.3 FM.
Walther told “The Mike Broomhead Show” host Mike Broomhead the threat “was from outside the country,” but called police in Scottsdale claiming he had taken hostages in a high school bathroom in Arizona after making a “series of 911 calls.”
The police chief explained, “We were told there was a gunman on campus, that he had taken some hostages, and was in one of the bathrooms on campus. He talked about how they were tied up, and he wanted some media coverage on his plight and what was going on in his life,” before describing it as “our worst nightmare call.”
Walther told Broomhead that location data immediately available to law enforcement showed the caller was physically at the school before a collaborative investigation with the FBI revealed the caller was foreign.
“Is this young people doing this, disaffected young people doing this, who are just upset at the world, or trying to get attention?” Walther questioned, “Or is it domestic terrorism for some, or is it state sponsored terrorism for others?”
He told Broomhead, “We now know the call that came in yesterday was from outside of this country, and that this particular caller hit three different locations in three different states yesterday.”
.@ScottsdalePD Chief Jeff Walther joined @broomheadKTAR and shared more details about the swatting incident that locked down Chaparral High School yesterday.
Listen to the full interview for more information: https://t.co/lhgs17LJAb pic.twitter.com/5EEhZhwelK
— The Mike Broomhead Show on KTAR News (@BroomheadShow) September 26, 2024
The revelation the threats originated from outside the United States follows similar reports in Tennessee, where law enforcement reportedly said threats made to some of the schools that were locked down earlier in September in Memphis also came from outside the country.
A foreign country was similarly named as the source of bomb threats made to various buildings and businesses in Springfield, Ohio, after former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance referenced the influx of Haitian migrants to the small community, but Governor Mike DeWine has so far declined to name the country from which the threats were placed.
During his radio appearance, Walther compared the phone calls to swatting, the illegal practice of reporting a false emergency to emergency services, often to provoke a law enforcement response against an intended target. The chief also revealed the FBI is now compiling a national database of swatting incidents to help local law enforcement.
Despite the foreign origin and lack of actual threat to students, Walther told the outlet the police response remains traumatizing to children.
“The trauma that causes two days in a row, two calls related to either the threat of violence or committing violence or the threat of an active shooter,” he told Broomhead. “So definitely two days of trauma for our young people in the city.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Chaparral High School” by Chaparral High School SUSD.
