The Prince George RCMP and School District 57 had their hands full today.
An now deleted Instagram page depicting cartoon clowns carrying guns including a threat to PG schools surfaced on Wednesday. The image is from the television series ‘Archer’. (see right)
Despite calling it a “non-credible threat”, police took two teenage boys into custody aged 16 and 17. Officers also visited a number of other students who posted to the page.
This afternoon, one of the arrested males was released without charge. The 16 year old will be held in custody overnight and will make his first appearance in Provincial Court tomorrow. Charges will be determined by Provincial Crown Counsel.
Out of “an abundance of caution”, SD57 schools were under a ‘code yellow’ for much of the day. That meant students were kept inside, with restricted movement and locked external doors. The ‘code yellow’ was lifted shortly before dismissal time.
Similar ‘clown hoaxes’ have popped up across North America recently, with no violence reported.