South Lake High School in St. Clair Shores evacuated after threat

The Detroit News

St. Clair Shores — Students were quickly evacuated from South Lake High School as Michigan State Police and police from St. Clair Shores combed the grounds following a bomb threat Thursday.

The threat was received around 11:30 a.m., police said in a statement. City officers, the fire department and multiple agencies responded.

Mothers were seen holding on tight to their children and fathers, too, as police guided those who showed up for the school children to leave in an orderly fashion.

A man walks across Cavalier Drive with a child as an officer directs traffic Thursday afternoon, Dec. 2, 2021, on the east side of South Lake High School. St. Clair Shores officers and others secured the school during an investigation into a bomb threat at the high school.

Fire trucks and EMT vehicles swarmed the area as well.

After the building was safely evacuated, authorities searched with canine units and found no devices, police said.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who has information on the source of the threat is asked to call St. Clair Shores police detectives at (586) 445-5305.

School officials did not return messages from The Detroit News about why the school was evacuated. However, many schools across southeast Michigan were closed Thursday because of threats of violence on social media two days after the shooting at Oxford High School in Oakland County that left four students dead and seven others, including a teacher, wounded.

The FBI's Detroit office released a statement Thursday saying it is aware of threats to area schools and is coordinating with law enforcement.

A woman holds on tight to two children as they leave South Lake High School, Thursday afternoon, Dec. 2, 2021. Law enforcement was investigating a bomb threat at the school.

Authorities in Southfield and Sterling Heights said Thursday they have made arrests tied to school threats.

In Troy, the school district canceled Thursday classes after learning of a Snapchat message of a rumored threat to a school in Rochester or Troy.

Similarly, Holly Area Schools "received multiple reports of a potential shooting threat" on social media late Wednesday, sparking a Holly Police investigation.

Warren Consolidated Schools, Walled Lake Consolidated School District, Rochester Community Schools, Bloomfield Hills and Huron Valley Schools, among others, closed Thursday for similar reasons. West Bloomfield School District shut down activities and closed schools through Friday.

Other districts said they were aware of threats and were increasing safety measures, but chose not to cancel classes. Detroit Country Day School and Berkley School District were among those to remain open.

Police officers and school personnel stand with students along Cavalier Dr. as they wait to leave South Lake High School, Thursday afternoon, Dec. 2, 2021. St. Clair Shores officers and others secured the school during an investigation into a bomb threat at the high school.

On Wednesday, Oxford High School sophomore Ethan Crumbley was arraigned on 24 counts tied to the Tuesday shooting at Oxford High.

Crumbley, 15, who was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, terrorism and other counts, is being held in Oakland County Jail without bond.

Staff Writer Mark Hicks contributed.

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