Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
MARTINEZ, Calif. – A social media hoax threatening Alhambra High School (AHS) with a clown attack prompted a response from district officials Wednesday afternoon.
The message, “Will be in Martinez tomorrow. See you Alhambra attendants at 12:22,” was posted Tuesday night to Instagram, by CoCo County Clown Gang. The message was accompanied by a photo of an ominous looking clown withholding a lollipop from a small boy. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Instagram account was unavailable.
Students were abuzz on Twitter and other social media about the post, with several students alleging clown sightings at the school.
This led Martinez Unified School District Superintendent CJ Cammack to send out a blanket email and recorded telephone message to parents of AHS students, assuring them the clown threat was without merit.
“The safety and security of our students is our top priority. The Martinez Police Department has determined this threat is not credible, but will be taking additional steps beginning today to increase police presence on campus as a precautionary measure,” Cammack said in the notification.
He also noted similar threats had been directed to schools in Antioch, Oakland and Fairfield, among others.
“While we are hopeful that the post was not created by a Martinez Unified student, please remind your child that making social media posts that threaten a school and/or any student is considered a terrorist threat, is punishable by law, and could result in expulsion from the school district,” Cammack added. “As always, the police department and our school administration are working collaboratively to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”
