News

Actions

PHX PD: Shots fired turns out to be balloons

Posted at 8:03 PM, Mar 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-03 22:07:05-05

The text alert read "this is NOT A DRILL."

Students at Maricopa Skill Center were put in lockdown after an employee thought she heard gunshots.  
As it turned out, it was just balloons popping at a celebration down the hall. The school chief of police said he's glad she called.

"We encourage people to trust your instincts. If you hear something that sounds like a gunshot or explosion, assume that it is until proven otherwise," Chief Mikel Longman said.

But are people calling police too much for incidents that turn out to be nothing?

"No, I don't think people are pushing the panic button too fast," Det. Seth Tyler from the Chandler Police Department. Chandler has had an unusual amount of hoaxes called in this year.

"It's our job to investigate whether it's something suspicious or not," he said. "If you see something say something."

Chandler police also put out this public service announcement warning pranksters of the state and federal crimes they face if caught.

Police departments said don't hesitate to call if you see or hear something suspicious, they don't want people to wasting valuable time trying to determine what is real and what isn't.