Joliet Police Detain 2 For Joliet Central Gunman Hoax

JOLIET, IL - In a statement Wednesday, Joliet police chief Brian Benton said two people are in custody over a hoax that caused Joliet Central High School officials to put the downtown campus on lockdown for what turned out to be a false police report. Benton said the episode began around 8 a.m. when police got a 911 call from someone claiming to work at a Walgreens store.

The caller said they had seen a person wearing a blue hoodie walking toward Joliet Central High School with "what appeared to be a handgun in his waistband." That same person then called police again and claimed the figure in the blue hoodie had just entered Joliet Central with the gun.

"Joliet police officers were immediately in the area and the school was placed on lockdown," the Benton said in the statement. "The safety of the students was not in jeopardy."

It was merely a well-planned hoax.

After the first two calls, police said, they received another call from a different person who claimed he'd just seen someone exit a vehicle while displaying "the tip of a rifle." The second caller claimed he saw someone in "black jeans and a ski mask walking toward the school from the Subway restaurant on Collins Street," Joliet police said.

Joliet officers were able to track down the second caller and interview him.

"His information was found to be non-credible," police said.

During the course of the Joliet Central lockdown, Joliet police officers inside the school building figured out the identity of the first person who had called 911. He was inside the school's cafeteria during the lockdown.

"His information was also found to be non-credible," Chief Benton indicated.

The two have been detained at the Joliet police station for interviews. "Charges are pending," the chief noted.

Wednesday's incident had marked the second time in less than a week that there was a strong presence of Joliet police officers swarming around the Joliet Central High School campus in search of a gun that wasn't there.

On Friday evening, Joliet Township High School District 204 sent out the following phone message to parents related to an incident at school from Thursday. Here is an excerpt: "... an individual provided information to Joliet Central High School that they saw a student with a handgun. JTHS immediately contacted the Joliet Police Department ... The Joliet Police Department had an increased presence at the school (Friday) morning and the potential offender was located. No weapon was found. The matter has been turned over to the Joliet Police Department."

While the false police report was being investigated by police in Joliet, school administrators in Plainfield sent out a message regarding the Plainfield Central High School campus.

"There is inaccurate information on social media about shots being fired at Plainfield Central High School this morning and that the school is in lockdown," the message advised. "There were no shots fired and the school was never put into lockdown. The students and staff at Plainfield Central are safe and continuing on with a normal day."

In Joliet, the Joliet Central High School lockdown was lifted around 9:30 a.m.

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