A phoned-in threat sent St. Anthony Hospital’s Midtown campus into lockdown Monday afternoon, after a caller said they planned to come to the facility and commit an act of violence. Staff moved fast, securing entrances and screening anyone coming in while Oklahoma City police converged on the hospital. Authorities later clarified the call did not involve a bomb, and officers kept searching for a suspect into the evening.
The Oklahoma City Police Department told KOKH Fox25 the situation began with a person calling the hospital and threatening to show up to carry out violence. Officers were dispatched to stand by at the facility, and police emphasized the incident was not being treated as a bomb threat. According to the department, officers planned to remain on scene until the threat was fully resolved.
As reported by KOCO, officers were first called to the Midtown campus around 5 p.m. and stayed in the area into the evening while hospital security conducted sweeps and risk assessments. KOCO noted that, as of about 7 p.m., police had not identified or located a suspect. The outlet also reported that several Oklahoma City hospitals have been targeted with unsubstantiated threats over the last week.
Hospital Location And Safety Measures
SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital, Midtown’s main campus at 1000 N. Lee Ave., is a major tertiary care center that says it works closely with law enforcement whenever a security incident crops up. The hospital’s website posts entrance and parking notices and notes that emergency services remain open while internal security protocols are in effect. Visitors are advised to expect delays and to follow directions from staff and officers during active responses like Monday’s lockdown.
Pattern Of Threats Across The Region
The Midtown security scare comes on the heels of another tense night for the same health system: a separate late-night bomb threat at a different St. Anthony location on Feb. 15 prompted a full sweep and lockdown, according to a late-night bomb threat report. Nearby communities have been dealing with similar disruptions. KSWO has documented multiple bomb-threat-driven lockdowns at Duncan Regional in recent weeks, a run of hoaxes that officials say drains police resources and interrupts patient care.
Legal Consequences For Hoax Threats
Authorities are also reminding the public that phoning in fake threats is not a prank, it is a crime. Intentionally making false reports that trigger emergency responses can carry state-level penalties; see the Oklahoma Statutes on false reporting. Federal law can raise the stakes even higher. Guidance from the Congressional Research Service notes that hoaxes involving explosives or using interstate communications can lead to far more serious federal charges. In some cases, prosecutors may also pursue restitution to recover the costs of deploying emergency responders…