Law enforcement agencies around San Diego were handling several rumors surrounding school safety on Friday including one department that announced an arrest.
Alex Paul Rodriquez, 61, of Oceanside was arrested Friday after officials said he left a threatening message for staff at Laurel Elementary School.
The message, left at 4:15 a.m. Thursday, said there would be a shooting at the school later that morning according to police. Officers claim the phone ended with "maniacal laughter."
As a result, the school was placed on lockdown and increased police presence was on the school campus.
Investigators say they traced the call to Rodriguez' cell phone and arrested him at his College Boulevard home. No firearms were found at the suspect's home.
In Fallbrook, school administrators confirmed that there have been rumors of a possible school shooting at Fallbrook High School in the past two days.
After investigating the rumors school officials did not determine there was a credible threat.
San Diego County sheriff's deputies patrolled the area around the school Friday.
Fallbrook resident, Chuck Cerulli, told NBC 7 San Diego that talk of a possible shooting has been the topic of discussion on the Facebook pages of local residents.
Also, San Diego Unified School District sent an email Thursday night to parents of San Diego High School students discussing rumors circulating among the student body.
School police have followed up on reports of "something bad" happening on the school campus school officials said.
The email told parents "We can assure that these are all rumors."
In the South Bay, a perceived threat against Sweetwater High School was investigated by law enforcement officials and discovered to be unfounded.
A former Sweetwater student posted the message “IM SCARED ABOUT THE SHOOTING THAT WILL HAPPEN TODAY” on Facebook officials told NBC 7 San Diego.
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Another student reported the post to officials. The Sweetwater HS assistant principal told officials the post involved schools in San Diego that have been notified.
