Michigan hospital lifts lockdown after suspected 'swatting' incident

E.W. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Mich., was placed on lockdown April 10 after reports of a man with an AR-15 and a bomb threat against the facility, the Lansing State Journal reported. The lockdown ended when police officers cleared the hospital.

"On 4/10 at approximately 3:31 a.m., Lansing Police were dispatched to Sparrow Hospital for a reports of a person with an AR-15," the Police Department tweeted. "Officers immediately responded and during the process received more calls from the same person threatening to bomb the building."

Police said they searched the hospital and determined the threats were not credible. The building was cleared around 6:30 a.m.

"At this time we believe this was a swatting call. Right now there is no suspect, but there is no credible threat to the public," police said. "We take swatting calls like these very seriously and we continue to investigate to try and find out who is responsible."

The hospital, in a statement shared with Becker's, said it "received several calls from an individual threatening the safety of our caregivers and patients. 911 was immediately contacted and a bomb threat alert was issued to all Sparrow caregivers."

The hospital said police conducted a thorough search of the building, and when no credible threat was found, the bomb threat alert was lifted.

"At Sparrow, the safety and security of our patients, caregivers and visitors is our top priority and we have and will continue to take a strong, proactive approach to protecting our campuses," the hospital said. 

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