BREAKING NEWS

No 'suspicious' device found after Mesa High School evacuated due to 911 call of explosive

Mesa High School was placed on lockdown and all students were evacuated on Wednesday morning after officials received a report of a "suspicious device," the Mesa Police Department said.

 By 3:40 p.m., department spokesperson Detective Richard Encinas said the search was completed, and no device was found.

About 3,000 Mesa High School students had been evacuated by bus to Mountain View High School, about 10 minutes away, Encinas said. No students were injured, though between three and six were treated for heat-related issues, he said.

'A lot of rumors going around' but no device found

Encinas said called 911 to report the suspicious device.

Mesa police said someone called 911 at 8:35 a.m. to report an explosive device was on the Mesa High School campus. 

Various law enforcement agencies including the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Tempe Police Department were assisting in the investigation, with Encinas adding that they were rotating officers due to the heat.

Southern Avenue and Harris Drive were closed as agencies investigated but reopened as of 3:45 p.m., according to Mesa police. 

At first, it wasn't clear how long the school would be locked down, though Encinas said police personnel would be taking their time to ensure a thorough investigation.

"The slower we go, the better we are to make sure we don't miss anything, which is our main goal," he said.

Encinas said there were "a lot of rumors going around" on social media about the incident but that many of the photos, videos and other information floating around online were not confirmed by police.

He said he was not aware of any recent threats to the high school nor of any connection to a TikTok challenge that encourages students to steal from and vandalize high schools.

Soap dispensers, sinks, mirrors, computers and other school supplies have been stolen from high schools around the country as part of the "devious licks" trend. The Coachella Valley Unified School District in California issued a statement on Tuesday saying students who participate would be subject to disciplinary or potential legal action, while Falls Church High School in Virginia urged parents to have conversations with their kids after related incidents on campus.

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Encinas said the Mesa Police Department was pursuing leads involving juveniles but would not yet release information related to them.

"There are a couple of leads that we have developed, we are currently investigating those ... We have not made any arrests," Encinas said, but an investigation is ongoing. 

The Mesa Police Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit were still on scene as of 4:15 p.m. investigating the incident.

Mesa Public Schools working with Mesa police on when to release students

Students were  held until Mesa Police finished their complete search of the campus.

"Your children continue to be safe and well cared for at Mountain View High School. We are actively working with Mesa Police to schedule a safe and timely release of students. We will let you know as soon as we have been given clearance to begin," Mesa Public Schools said in a message to families in the early afternoon.

It was not immediately clear if students were allowed to leave campus as of 4 p.m.

Vinny Houskeeper, a senior at Mesa High School, was just arriving to school when he was told about the threat.

“I was trying to pull into the parking lot … I rolled down my window and they were like, 'There’s a threat, nobody can come in, nobody can leave,'" he told The Arizona Republic. 

Houskeeper said he hasn't experienced anything like it before at the high school and that many students are in shock.

“What a day, I did not expect this morning waking up," he said.

Reach the reporter at bfrank@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8529.  Follow her on Twitter @brieannafrank

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