Police: Bomb Threat Call In Downtown Clayton Appears To Be Swatting

CLAYTON — A bomb threat prompted evacuations and a police search in downtown Clayton Saturday morning before investigators determined the call was likely a swatting incident.

Clayton Police received the threat around 8 a.m. in the 300 block of East Main Street.

Police said the caller provided details about the area and described officers’ response as it was happening. Investigators believe the caller may have been watching a live camera feed of the area.

Officers evacuated the area while explosive-detection K-9s conducted a search.
No explosive device was found.

Businesses and pedestrians were allowed to return to the area around 9:45 a.m.

Police said investigators believe the incident was a swatting call, in which a false emergency is reported to generate a law enforcement response. The investigation remains ongoing.

Saturday’s incident comes less than three months after another hoax 911 call prompted a Clayton Police response downtown.

On July 31, a caller falsely claimed an armed man was at a downtown Clayton business. That call was also determined to be a hoax.