Bomb threat prompted lockdown at Charlotte-area high school, police say

A bomb threat forced the evacuation of hundreds of students at a Charlotte-area high school on Friday afternoon, police said.

Just before 1:30 p.m., a caller to Hough High School in Cornelius told school staff there was a bomb on the campus, Cornelius police said in a news release. Minutes later, police issued an “active police situation” alert, and students and staff were evacuated.

Images from WSOC-TV’s helicopter showed Hough students heading to the school’s football stadium.

Police asked Hough parents to pick up their children at the school’s parking lot. Earlier, parents were directed to Bailey Road Park.

No suspicious items were found after a search of the campus, police said. All students and staff were released.

The lockdown was lifted around 3:15 p.m., a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson told the Observer.

By 3:30 p.m., the parking lot was empty. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police canine unit vehicle was seen leaving the campus.

There also appeared to be numerous police vehicles at nearby Bailey Middle School, according to an Observer reporter at the scene.

Detectives are now working to determine who made this threat, police said.

Cornelius police ask anyone with information about the caller or the threat to call 704-892-7773.

Staff writer Anna Maria Della Costa contributed.

This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 2:03 PM.