Swatting hoaxes trigger lockdowns at multiple campuses

False active shooter reports this week triggered panicked lockdowns and large law enforcement responses at multiple U.S. college campuses, beginning with Villanova University on Thursday and spreading to at least a half dozen other schools before authorities concluded the threats were hoaxes. Students and families sheltering at orientation events and busy campus libraries were ordered to run, hide or barricade doors as officers swept buildings and federal investigators joined local police to determine the credibility of the calls.

At Villanova in suburban Philadelphia, Delaware County emergency dispatchers received a 911 call about a man with an AR15-style rifle shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 21, and the university sent an active shooter alert that urged people to move to secure locations and lock or barricade doors. Videos shared on social media showed crowds fleeing an orientation Mass and some people sheltering in classrooms and closets. The university later called the incident a cruel hoax; no injuries or weapons were found, and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said authorities would conduct a full investigation. Villanova President the Rev. Peter M....