A false report of an active shooter at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) in Claremont, California, triggered campus-wide panic and a heavy police response on March 13, 2025. Authorities now suspect the incident was a swatting hoax, a dangerous trend of false emergency reports aimed at causing disruption and fear.
The Initial Report
Around 5 p.m., the Claremont Police Department received a 911 call claiming a gunman was on campus. In response, college officials immediately issued a shelter-in-place order, instructing students and faculty to remain inside as law enforcement swarmed the area. Campus security and police locked down buildings, and students took cover, some barricading themselves in dorm rooms and classrooms.
Videos and photos shared on social media captured helicopters circling above the college, armed officers sweeping through buildings, and frantic messages from concerned students texting their loved ones.
BREAKING: Police activity at Claremont McKenna College @abc7chriscristi @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/AmzYUOU7J8
Intense Search and Investigation
For three tense hours, authorities searched the campus, going room by room to locate any potential threat. By 8 p.m., officials found no evidence of a shooter or any immediate danger. The shelter-in-place order was lifted, and the lockdown was de-escalated.
Swatting Suspicions
After confirming that no shooter or weapon was found, law enforcement began treating the incident as a possible swatting case—a dangerous hoax where individuals falsely report emergencies to provoke a major police response.
Authorities are now tracing the origin of the emergency call and reviewing surveillance footage to determine if the false report was made maliciously. If caught, the perpetrator could face criminal charges, including filing a false police report and public endangerment.
Campus Reaction and Emotional Fallout
Even though the threat was false, the emotional impact on students and faculty has been profound. Many described sheer terror, believing they were in a real-life mass shooting situation.
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"I was hiding in a storage closet for over an hour, thinking this was it," one student shared on social media.
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"It’s terrifying that someone would do this as a prank—it’s not funny at all," another student tweeted.
CMC is now providing counseling services for those shaken by the event, and college officials have pledged to increase security measures to ensure student safety.
Ongoing Investigation & Lessons Learned
As authorities continue their investigation, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the growing dangers of swatting and the real fear it causes. Swatting cases have been rising across the U.S., often targeting schools, celebrities, and public figures, leading to wasted resources and unnecessary trauma.
Claremont McKenna officials and law enforcement are urging students and the public to report any suspicious activity and take all emergency alerts seriously, even as they work to prevent future hoaxes.
For now, the CMC community breathes a sigh of relief, knowing the threat wasn’t real—but the trauma lingers, and questions remain about who was behind the false alarm.