An anonymous phone threat briefly put Seattle Children’s Hospital on lockdown Sunday, sending the pediatric campus into a shelter‑in‑place while security and police swept the grounds. Entrances were locked down, movement was tightly restricted, and for a couple of tense hours the hospital operated in emergency mode before authorities cleared the scene and normal operations resumed later that afternoon.
Hospital timeline and police response
Hospital officials said the threatening call came in around 2 p.m., prompting Seattle Children’s Security Services to follow established protocol. The team immediately contacted the Seattle Police Department and ordered a precautionary, campuswide shelter‑in‑place while officers responded.
Police conducted a full security sweep and ultimately determined there was no ongoing threat. The hospital lifted the lockdown at about 4 p.m. and returned to regular services, according to KOMO News.
Other hoaxes have strained local resources
The scare at Seattle Children’s comes on the heels of a string of recent hoax and bomb‑threat calls around the city that have kept first responders on their toes. On July 3, Woodland Park Zoo was evacuated after a bomb threat was phoned in, forcing visitors and staff out while police checked the property. Officers later found no explosive device and cleared the scene.
That closure, one in a series of false alarms this month, has added pressure on public‑safety resources during an already busy Seattle summer, as reported by FOX 13 Seattle.
What families and visitors should know
Seattle Children’s said patient care was not disrupted during Sunday’s lockdown and that operations are back to normal. Hospital officials emphasized that Security Services moved quickly to safeguard patients, families, and staff while law enforcement evaluated the threat…