High school and middle school on lockdown as police investigate threat of violence

Amelia Neath
·2 min read
Severna Park High School in Maryland was put on lockdown after threats of violence were placed at the school (Google Maps)
Severna Park High School in Maryland was put on lockdown after threats of violence were placed at the school (Google Maps)

A Maryland high school and middle school were placed on lockdown due to a “threat of possible violence” on Tuesday morning.

A possible threat was reported at Severna Park High School, according to Anne Arundel County Police Department. Nearby Severna Park Middle School was also put on lockdown during the investigation.

The lockdown has since been lifted after the threat was deemed “non-credible” by authorities.

The high school had received a call at around 9.30am about a possible threat nearby, a police spokesperson told the Capital Gazette.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) reported the schools were on “hold status” meaning no one was allowed to move about the building, or enter or leave the buildings. AACPS added that all students and staff were safe.

Two other schools, Benfield Elementary and Broadneck High School, were also placed under “hold status”.

All schools are within a two-mile radius of each other except from Broadneck High School, which appears to be located in Cape St Claire.

Heavy police presence surrounded the outside of the school after reports of possible violence (Google Maps)
Heavy police presence surrounded the outside of the school after reports of possible violence (Google Maps)

Police fanned out across the area but no evidence of weapons were found on school property.

The “hold status” for all four schools was lifted at around 11.05am, police said.

All schools are within over a two-mile radius of each other of Severna Park, apart from Broadneck High School.

AACPS is the fourth largest school system in Maryland, and the 36th largest in the United States.

A neighbouring Maryland county also reported a threat to a high school on Tuesday morning although it is unclear if the two incidents are related.

At 10.30am, police in Montgomery County reported that Wootton High School was told to shelter-in-place and Albert Einstein High School was evacuated after bomb threats.

The shelter-in-place status was lift and students were allowed to return after the threats were later deemed “non-credible”, police said.

The Independent has contacted the AACPS and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for further information.