Local officials address recent increase in “Creepy Clown” phenomena, issue warnings

In this screenshot from a YouTube video a clown is caught on a home surveillance camera standing outside and staring at a residence in Georgia. On the video, the clown is seen approaching the front door of the residence several times. See YouTube video below.

The creepy clown phenomena that started as an internet prank has crossed the country and recently landed squarely in the Inland Empire.

Until recently, home-made scary clown videos and clowns caught on security surveillance cameras have been shared from around the nation and even from other countries; but now they are starting to pop up in local cities in Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties, just to name a few.

The phenomena is causing many law enforcement agencies to have to repeatedly divert from “real” calls for service to handle calls regarding youth and adults alike who have taken to putting on face paint or scary clown masks and creating creepy caricatures meant to startle, scare or even terrorize unsuspecting citizens.

Just yesterday – during only one of many clown sighting related calls for the day –  a local law enforcement agency had to pull an officer away from other calls to investigate a clown-related incident. The person who called 911 reported to dispatchers that two subjects kept following him in a car as he was walking along a rural roadway.

The two subjects were described as being dressed like clowns, complete with white face paint, big red clown-noses and bright orange hair. One of the suspects was even wearing a full rainbow-colored clown outfit.

Although the two subjects were not located in their “clown car,” while the officer was searching for the vehicle the two clowns were seen in, another person called in to report the suspicious activity of the same two clowns.

Clown-inspired fears have continued to sweep through the nation and reports have only increased the hysteria, with spooked citizens reporting sightings of sinister or creepy-looking clowns almost everywhere they go. Most of the clown sightings have been reported in Arizona, DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and now several cities in California, including Fontana, Glendora, Wasco, and now, Temecula.

First local highly publicized creepy clown sighting at

Vail Ranch Middle School in Temecula

The issue reached a crescendo this week in southwest Riverside County in several incidents that began Oct. 4, when a creepy clown carrying a fake bloody knife was captured on film outside Vail Ranch Middle School.

The video was posted to social media and created a social media firestorm of controversy. As quickly as viewers could click the share button, the video made its way throughout Temecula, Murrieta and other surrounding cities in record time.

While there was no specific threat made to the school, many fearful parents who have students that attend VRMS flooded the school with concerned phone calls; wanting to know if it was safe for their children to attend school.

After the incident at Vail Ranch Middle School, Temecula Unified School District released a statement about the increase in creepy clowns sightings.

“As a follow-up to last evening’s message to you regarding the rumored threatening clown sightings in Temecula, we wanted to provide you with the following important update,” TVUSD Tweeted to the parents and guardians of its students Oct 5.

“An individual dressed in a clown outfit holding a fake knife was videotaped in front of Vail Ranch Middle School last evening and shared through social media,” officials wrote. “As of this afternoon, Temecula PD has confirmed this was indeed a prank.”

“Suspects have been identified and PD is currently pursuing an investigation,” officials continued. “Again, there are NO credible threats against any TVUSD school sites.”

Chaparral HS has its own clown related scare just 2 days after VRMS incident

However, just two days later Chaparral High School received a number of threatening Tweets beginning at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 5. The following day, the threats became so specific, they forced the high school to cease teaching activities for the day and allow students to go home.

The threat was loosely tied to the earlier clown sightings at VRMS and elsewhere.

In the first vague threat, the person who made those threats made references to clown masks, Tec-9 handguns, and C4 explosives. The following day his threats escalated and became more specific. The subject even wrote in one of several Tweets the next day that “something bad was going to happen at 10 a.m.” In a later Tweet he also wrote, “Good luck surviving the new Columbine.”

While the school initially chose not to go into Lock-Down or evacuate the campus, district and school officials came under so much pressure from concerned parents who had learned about or seen the threats online, officials were compelled to allow students to leave school early; with their parent’s permission.

Well before the 10 a.m. deadline, most parents had flooded into the school office to pick up their children. Later in the day Temecula police officials located and arrested the juvenile. He was booked into juvenile hall and is facing two felony charges.

In a written explanation and one of several updates sent to parents and guardians throughout the day, district officials stated the video clip of a clown who appeared to be armed with a deadly weapon was cited as part of the reason Temecula’s Chaparral High School ended school early for the day Friday, Oct 7.

The school notified all parents it was enacting an early student pick up/leave procedure for the day due to the threats mentioning clown masks, weapons and explosives.

The action was viewed as little less than a mass voluntary evacuation of the school campus. School officials reported that by noon roughly 100 students remained on campus and by the end of the school day, only about 50 students remained.

“This form of cyber terrorism is extremely upsetting and is disrupting to our educational learning opportunities for our students, as well as increasing everyone’s anxiety levels, TVUSD officials explained.

Creepy clown sightings creating a social media firestorm

As more videos and photographs are shared on social media depicting scary or creepy looking clowns some people have become more wary and fearful of the clowns, regardless their motives.

As more videos and images get shared, copycats are bound to increase the reports of clown sightings. Especially when the clowns are seen wandering aimlessly around town, sitting at bus stops, carrying what appear to be weapons, standing in front of homes or even peeping through bushes, hiding along tree lines or standing along highways,

The recent increase of sightings of the creepy looking clowns and what has often times been perceived as threats or threatening actions from those who have been participating in the clown phenomena locally have already caused a frenzy of social media activity.

The bizarre activity has people debating the meaning and purpose behind the recent clown phenomena. Many citizens have even expressed concern about those people who choose to participate in the scaring of unsuspecting citizens, who are already wary and concerned over real crimes and criminal activity.

Citizens and officials alike have expressed concern about those people choosing to participate in scaring people, threatening others or skulking about town late at night dressed as clowns and peeping into people’s yards and homes.

Law enforcement officials now being forced to address creepy clown sightings

The local sightings have become so common place, several law enforcement agencies and school districts have felt the need to issue official statements about the phenomena.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Captain Jeff Kubel, City of Temecula’s Chief of Police recently addressed the citizens of Temecula in a letter posted to social media.

Temecula PD Captain Jeff Kubel shared this post after the recent clown-related activity in the City of Temecula

“There have been several people who have expressed concern about the person(s) spotted at different locations in the city dressed as creepy clowns,” Kubel wrote. “While it is not illegal to wear a clown mask, illegally carrying weapons or making criminal threats to harm others will be thoroughly investigated and those responsible will face criminal charges.”

Kubel explained that even though there have been no known credible threats associated with the creepy clowns, “our officers are on the lookout for those engaged in any illegal activity associated with the creepy clown phenomena.”

Unfortunately, despite warnings from law enforcement agencies and school districts, social media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter continue to spread countless new videos daily of clown sightings, some of which show creepy looking clowns scaring and sometimes even chasing unsuspecting citizens.

Some creepy clown activity tied to criminal acts and charges being filed

Now, as more videos and photographs are being shared via social media, random sightings of creepy clowns have begun to be seen all throughout CA. Several of the recent sightings and high-profile incidents have been throughout the Inland Empire.

Other California cities have seen a sudden increase in creepy clown sightings as well. Some of those reported incidents have resulted in criminal charges for those involved.

According to law enforcement officials, many, if not most, of the sightings have been considered hoaxes or pranks; however, in some rare cases the creepy clown phenomena has been linked or associated with real threats and crimes. Some recent arrests and incidents involving people dressed as clowns are only fueling people’s fear of clowns and clown activity in general.

A 14-year-old high school student from Fontana who created a widely publicized “Fontana Killer Clown” scare on social media was arrested Wednesday afternoon Oct. 5. He has been accused of making criminal threats against Fontana high school and middle school students on social media, according to Fontana police Sgt. Kevin Goltara.

The Fontana teen was trying to scare people and see how many followers he could obtain on various social media sites, Goltara stated.

The VRMS incident happened the very same day when a video of someone – later determined to be a juvenile – in a clown suit was filmed holding a fake blood-covered knife in front of the middle school in Temecula. The boy who was involved was quickly identified sheriff’s officials are considering criminal charges.

Another local social media post Tuesday night warned that clowns would kidnap students or kill teachers in Temecula, reading, “We will be at all High schools this friday (Oct. 6) to either kidnapp [sic] students or kill teachers going to they cars …” The threat included the hash tag, #WeNotClowninAround.

In that incident, TVUSD officials said they had not found any evidence the threat was credible and added that Temecula police officials are investigating the incident.

In the Bay Area city of Concord, police are conducting an investigation into allegations that a man dressed in a full clown suit – complete with a blue, curly-haired wig, a blue hat and a polka-dotted, rainbow-colored outfit – allegedly attempted to kidnap a 1-year-old girl Wednesday, Oct. 5.

The 1-year-old girl was at a bus stop with her mother, Tiffany Martin, when a man dressed as a clown approached the two.

The man started out by playing with the girl and being nice. However all that changed in an instant when the man took the girl by the hand as if tho kiss it. He suddenly tried to physically drag the toddler from Martin. The heroic mom fought back, kicking the man as she yanked her child back from the suspect; who ran off after the incident.

In another recent clown-related incident that led to criminal charges, Glendora police officers arrested William Salazar, a 19-year-old man on suspicion of making threats against Sierra High School – where he had attended school – as well as toward the City of El Monte.

Salazar was apparently a creepy clown enthusiast and participant in the growing creepy clown movement who allegedly used the new clown phenomena to try to terrorize his intended victims, Glendora Police of Chief Tim Staab recently said. He has been accused of making criminal threats through Instagram and Facebook and is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Other similar Southern California clown sightings include a report of two people dressed as clowns who were creeping up on and scaring employees at a San Pedro elementary school on Tuesday, Oct. 4. One of the subjects was described as wearing a mask that said “killer” on his forehead.

Local creepy clown sightings on the rise

With so many recent creepy clown sightings throughout the Inland Empire and the phenomena only seeming to increase, law enforcement agencies, school districts, and even businesses are having to adjust and learn to deal with the growing trend.

Those who say they feel the real harm of the new creepy clown phenomena are people who work as professional clowns for events such as birthdays and fairs.

A woman who only identified herself as Giggles The Clown recently lamented on Facebook that the new creepy clown phenomena is actually hurting her business.

Giggles claimed that other clowns she networks with have all experienced a decline in their businesses as well; as children, scared by all the recent creepy clown activity, are no longer wanting to book their parties and other events with clowns.

Many are hoping the creepy clown phenomena will eventually lose its excitement for those participating, and will quickly fade away. However, in the mean time, the activity is only increasing.

In spite of the all the recent sightings, Kubel recently wrote “While we don’t believe the creepy clown phenomena is anything but an internet hoax, we are determined to remain alert and aware so we can closely monitor the issue and keep the community safe.”

“The Temecula Police Department takes a zero-tolerance stance against those who would seek to spread fear by making threats to harm others,” Kubel said. In a previous statement Kubel made it clear that anyone engaging in any type of criminal behavior, whether dressed as a clown or not, would be charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

In the mean time – with Halloween quickly approaching – get used to reading lots of social media posts and seeing many pictures of creepy clown activity throughout the area. Also, don’t be surprised if you see someone dressed as a clown wandering down the street or hiding among the bushes, waiting for another victim to jump out and scare.

 

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.