UPDATE: LA bomb threat could be hoax: New York schools receive same threat but stay open

'I want all schools searched today.'

Following a bomb threat, over 1,000 schools in Los Angeles have been locked down for the day and over 640,000 students were sent home.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - UPDATE - A House Intelligence Committee member explained that the Los Angeles bomb threat has been discovered to be a hoax.
Los Angeles officials have not commented yet, but the city major, police chief and superintendent each claimed it is better to err on the side of caution. 

Charlie Beck said, "It is very easy in hindsight to criticize a decision when you have no responsibility for the outcome. All of us have the same goal in mind - we want to keep our kids safe."

Becks comment was a direct response to New York police commissioner Bill Bratton's "overreaction" critique of the California city's reaction to a possible bomb threat.

As earlier reported, Los Angeles superintendent Ramon Cortines received a "credible threat" via email that described bombs in at least three of the city's schools.

As a precaution, FBI detectives and explosives experts have been combing 900 campuses. However, when New York received a similar threat on Tuesday, its police commissioner, Bill Bratton, held a press conference to discuss why he believed it was a hoax.

Initial investigations led authorities to believe the threat originated from an IP address in Frankfurt, Germany, with Bratton telling reporters, "I think it was a significant overreaction ... In reviewing it, the instigator of the threat may be a Homeland fan.

"Basically, watching Homeland episodes, it mirrors recent episodes on Homeland."

Bratton believed the threat was a hoax, particularly after the email spelled "Allah" with a lowercase "a."

"There was nothing credible about the threat," Bratton said. "It was so generic, so outlandish and posed to numerous school districts simultaneously ... the assumption of the NYPD and the assumption of the NYPD were exactly the same, that in fact it would be a huge disservice to our nation to close down our school system."

Reuters reported Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti responding to criticisms of the closures:

"It is very easy for people to jump to conclusions and I have been around long enough to know that usually what people think in the first few hours is not what plays out in later hours. But decisions have to be made in a matter of minutes."

Police Chief Beck said it was "irresponsible" to criticize the school closures, particularly with what happened in San Bernardino.

Cortines stood his ground as well, saying, "I can't take a chance. I want all schools to be searched today. I'm not taking a chance of bringing children into a place, into any part of a building, until I know it's safe."

Some students were already at school and were forced to evacuate, but only parents and guardians with the "proper ID" could pick up their children.

One high-school student, Trinity Williams, said, "It's disappointing. I was supposed to give an essay in class today and finals are Friday. I can't afford to miss a day."

Lee Stein, parent of a fifth-grader, said, "It's very concerning, especially in light of recent events. You hope it's a hoax. It's unfortunate that someone is preying upon people's fears."

---

The California Network is the Next Wave in delivery of information and entertainment on pop culture, social trends, lifestyle, entertainment, news, politics and economics. We are hyper-focused on one audience, YOU, the connected generation. JOIN US AS WE REDEFINE AND REVOLUTIONIZE THE EVER-CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE.