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De La Salle lockdown occurred before student-planned protest over hazing investigation

Posted at 5:30 PM, Dec 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-17 18:06:19-05

WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — As the investigation into the hazing scandal at De La Salle High School in Warren continues, a social media threat puts the school on lockdown.

That lockdown was right before a group of students had planned to walk out in protest to support the three football players suspended in connection to the alleged locker room incident.

“(They were) going to bring bats," said Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer. "They were going to bring a machine gun."

That’s what was said on social media, sparking the lockdown at De La Salle Collegiate High School, according to Dwyer. It started when students tried organizing a protest on SnapChat.

A screen grab was sent to us by a parent who did not want to be identified. The protest was supposed to take place Tuesday morning around 10:45 a.m. However, schools officials called police a little before 10 a.m. when they learned of the social threat.

Police arrived to the school and the lockdown was lifted by noon. This comes as the investigation into the hazing incident by the St. Clair County Prosecutors Officer continues.

“And they’ve asked for a furtherance on the case, which means they are asking our detectives here in Warren to interview a number of individuals again or even new individuals who have not been interviewed,” Dwyer explained.

In October, we learned about the allegations of a hazing incident involving football players using a broomstick in a sexual manner on another player who was being held down.

By November, the school canceled its football season. Since then, three players have been suspended. Those students are now suing the school for racial discrimination, they say, because out of the 13 students initially implicated the only ones suspended are minorities.

As we previously reported, the head football coach is now off the job.

Dwyer says his detectives have been trying to learn more about the allegation but the students invoked have been less than cooperative.

“They pretty well shut down on us, including some of the staff members shut down,” he said.

As of now, no charges have been filed.

As for Tuesday’s threat, police found it not to be credible.