Campus Alert Archive
CGTC

A Hoax 911 Call Brought Deputies, State Patrol, and a Full Campus Sweep to a Macon Technical College

GAswattingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On August 26, 2025, at approximately 1:00 PM EDT, a hoax 911 call reporting an active shooter prompted a full lockdown and shelter-in-place advisory at Central Georgia Technical College's Macon campus. CGTC Police, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, and Georgia State Patrol responded. The lockdown was lifted at 2:25 PM EDT after law enforcement confirmed the threat was a hoax.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Central Georgia Technical College
Technical College · GA
~7,500 studentsCGTC Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction171 chars
CGTC ALERT: Shelter in place. Active shooter threat reported on Macon campus. Lock doors, stay away from windows, and remain in your current location until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

CGTC's official timeline states the emergency notification was sent to the Macon campus group at 1:37 PM EDT on August 26, 2025
CGTC Police, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, and Georgia State Patrol responded within minutes
UPDATESMS+30 min
Approximate reconstruction175 chars
CGTC UPDATE: Law enforcement is conducting a full sweep of the Macon campus. Continue to shelter in place. Authorities are assessing the validity of the active shooter report.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

CGTC sent an institutional alert at 2:07 PM EDT on August 26, 2025 to advise the broader college community of the situation
Initial assessments had already indicated the report was likely a hoax, but law enforcement continued the full campus sweep
ALL CLEARSMS+48 min
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from CGTC Facebook post and official press release; all-clear given at 2:25 PM EDT192 chars
CGTC ALL CLEAR: The lockdown and shelter in place advisory is now lifted for CGTC's Macon campus. The active shooter threat has been confirmed as a hoax. Normal campus operations have resumed.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear was given at 2:25 PM EDT on August 26, 2025, approximately 48 minutes after the initial shelter-in-place alert
Two people were treated for anxiety during the lockdown; no other injuries were reported
Context

Background

Central Georgia Technical College serves approximately 7,500 students across multiple campuses in central Georgia. On August 26, 2025, a hoax 911 call reported an active shooter at the Macon campus just after 1:00 PM EDT. The college issued a shelter-in-place advisory at 1:37 PM EDT, and multiple agencies including the Bibb County Sheriff's Office and Georgia State Patrol responded. Deputies swept the entire campus but found no threat. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office confirmed the calls were a hoax, and the same caller is believed to have also targeted Rutland High School. The incident was part of a broader wave of swatting calls targeting Georgia educational institutions in late August 2025, with at least three Georgia colleges responding to false threats on a single Friday later that week. The FBI's Atlanta field office opened an investigation.
Analysis

Key Findings

The entire lockdown lasted approximately 48 minutes from the initial alert to the all-clear, demonstrating an efficient response to a hoax
The same caller is believed to have targeted both CGTC and a nearby high school, suggesting a coordinated swatting effort
Two people were treated for anxiety, illustrating the real psychological harm caused by hoax threats
The incident was part of a broader wave of swatting targeting Georgia educational institutions in late August 2025
Outcome
No active shooter was found. Two individuals were treated for anxiety. The same caller is believed to have also called a hoax threat to nearby Rutland High School. The FBI's Atlanta field office opened an investigation into hoax threats targeting Georgia institutions.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Report of shooter at Central Georgia Technical College's Macon campus suspected hoax, lockdown lifted - 13WMAZ
    13wmaz.com
  2. Official
    CGTC Police and Local Law Enforcement Clear Active Shooter Threat - CGTC Official
    centralgatech.edu
  3. News
    BCSO confirms hoax active shooter calls regarding CGTC, Rutland HS - 41NBC
    41nbc.com
  4. News
    At least 3 Georgia colleges respond to false shooter threats Friday - 13WMAZ
    13wmaz.com
Tags
swattinghoaxtechnical-collegegeorgiaactive-shooter-hoaxmulti-agency-responsefbi-investigationHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion