Threat deemed 'non-credible' at Lane Tech, school says

A potential threat called in to Lane Tech College Prep that led to visits from the police and fire departments Friday has been deemed “non-credible,” and no students or staff are in danger, the school said. At 1:25 p.m. firefighters were called to the high school at 2501 W. Addison St. about an “unknown object,” said Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Merritt. A Level 1 hazardous materials call for the object was “secured” at 1:44 p.m., he added.Merritt said he didn’t know why the object was thought to be suspicious.The school was placed on soft lockdown “after receiving a phone call from an unknown source that included a potential threat to our school,” Lane Tech College Prep Principal Edwina Thompson said in a letter sent to parents and guardians. Police later determined the potential threat was “non-credible,” Thompson said in the statement. “There is no safety threat to our school, and everyone is safe. All after-school activities are expected to proceed as planned,” she said.Chicago police had no further details immediately. According to police radio transmissions, the call happened during sixth period, at which point the soft lockdown was put in place, and some students were moved to another building.A Chicago police officer on the scene reported to an Office of Emergency Management and Communications dispatcher that someone was being detained after a backpack was found in the men’s washroom on the second floor of the school. “I have him in my custody,’’ the officer told the dispatcher. “There’s a backpack. ... I’ve not heard any noises or sounds from the backpack.”A Chicago Public Schools representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.