Santa Monica High School Gets All Clear After Hoax Bomb Threat Causes Lockdown

Students at Santa Monica High School have been sent home for the day after police gave the all-clear following a hoax bomb threat, Santa Monica Police said Thursday.

Police said a bomb threat was called in at around 11:42 a.m., prompting a school lockdown while police and school staff conducted a precautionary search of the campus.

At 12:48 p.m., Santa Monica Police said that “no device or suspicious items have been found,” and at 2:30 p.m. they declared there was never any bomb on campus. Subsequently, the shelter in place order was ended.

Santa Monica Unified School District authorities then dismissed students and staff for the rest of the day.

SMPD has cleared the #SAMOHI campus. No suspicious items were found. The Shelter in Place has been released. Students are exiting their classrooms and are being released for the day. Please follow @SMMUSD for additional information. pic.twitter.com/owaxFqeroy

— Santa Monica Police (@SantaMonicaPD) November 3, 2022

The #SantaMonica Police Department is on the #SAMOHI campus for a bomb threat. No device or suspicious items have been located. Students remain on campus as our staff conduct a precautionary search of the area. Please see the message below from #SMMUSD personnel. pic.twitter.com/rb0K1e2Gzi

— Santa Monica Police (@SantaMonicaPD) November 3, 2022

The school has a special place in Hollywood history, having served as the filming location for high school movies like “Surf Ninjas,” “17 Again” and “Rebel Without a Cause.” It is also notable for its alumni, which includes Robert Downey Jr., musician Ry Cooder, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Rob Lowe, Sean Penn, Chris Penn, Ronda Rousey and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim.