by Mick Rhodes and Andrew Alonzo

Three tense hours after receiving a call about a possible active shooter with a bomb, police lifted a shelter in place order at Claremont McKenna College at 7:30 p.m. Thursday after a multi-agency search turned up no gunman or weapon.

“The caller told dispatch they were in a restroom on the Claremont McKenna College campus, holding someone captive and threatening to harm them,” read a Claremont Police Department Press release. “They also stated they had a bomb and were going to walk around with a rifle and shoot anyone they saw on the campus.”

Police suspect the 4:44 p.m. was a case of “swatting,” or making a false report of an ongoing serious crime in order to elicit a response from law enforcement.

“This would be a swatting call is what it appears at this point,” said Claremont Police Department Lieutenant Jason Walters.

The law enforcement response was quick and robust. Police from Claremont, Upland, Ontario, and La Verne arrived at the 888 N. Columbia Ave. campus within five minutes, blocked surrounding streets, and issued a shelter in place order for CMC students and faculty.

“We conducted a check of the [Kravis Center] building for the active shooter and or any victims that may be inside,” Walters said. “We ultimately cleared the building. There were no signs of an active shooter.”

Claremont PD received a second call while they were on the scene, this one of an active shooter at Roberts Pavilion at Sixth Street and Mills Avenue.

“Upland PD, as well as some of the officers from Claremont responded to that location and cleared that location as well, with no findings of an active shooter or any new victims,” Walters said.

There were no injuries, no arrests made, and no weapons located at either location.

Walters was asked if he thought the apparent swatting calls might be connected to a call to CPD earlier in the day involving a person who reportedly had a mental health incident at nearby Honnold Library.

“I know what call you’re referring to and at this point there’s no connection with the two calls being connected to one another,” Walters said.

Walters said he was aware of a similar swatting incident that occurred Wednesday at Loma Linda University.

“There was another incident at Loma Linda yesterday that I’m familiar with, but at this time I don’t know if there’s any connection,” he said. “That’s what our detectives will be following up on, to see if the two are related to one another.”

Claremont police ask anyone with information about the incident to call (909) 399-5411.