A far north suburban school was on lockdown Tuesday afternoon after children told school staff that three people in clown masks, two of them possibly armed, threatened to “kill them” while they were at recess, police said.
According to the Waukegan Police Department, children at the Greenwood elementary school told staff just before 2 p.m. that three people dressed in clown masks stood at the edge of the school’s property and taunted them.
The children reported that one person had a knife, another had a briefcase and a third had a gun “in his pocket.” They also claimed the clowns threatened to return on Friday and "kill them."
Police said it was not clear if the knife was real or if a clown was armed with a handgun. The suspects may have left the scene in a black SUV but no suspect descriptions were available, according to atuhorities.
The school was briefly placed on lock down until officers could check the area.
Waukegan police said it plans to provide extra watches during shifts at all area schools “for the time being” and said the incident is being taken seriously.
The incident is one of several clown incidents reported across the Chicago area Tuesday.
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