Campus Alert Archive
Loma Linda

Swatting call claiming a rifle and bomb locked down a hospital campus for hours

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
CAswattingemergency notificationmedium confidence
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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 the afternoon of March 12, 2025, a swatting call to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reported an armed individual at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. The caller claimed he had an AR-15 and a bomb and was experiencing a mental-health crisis. The hospital and the affiliated Loma Linda University Health Sciences campus issued a Code Silver lockdown and sent a 'Run, Hide, Fight' alert to students and employees. Roughly 200 law enforcement units responded; the scene was cleared at approximately 8:15 p.m. PDT.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Loma Linda University Health
Private R2 · CA
All Loma Linda cases →
~4,500 studentsLLUH Alerts
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimCampus Safety Magazine (preserved verbatim alert text)254 chars
Code Silver – Active Threat LLUH has declared a Code Silver – Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant at PEDS ED This is not a drill: Initiate immediate protective actions. If confronted with a threat, RUN, HIDE, FIGHT. Additional information to follow.
Campus Safety Magazine preserved the full verbatim alert text from the LLUH Code Silver notification on March 12, 2025
The alert was simultaneously a campus alert (sent to students and employees) and a Code Silver hospital lockdown notification, internal terminology for a hostile/armed-assailant lockdown defined in the [LLUH Code Silver protocol](https://llu.edu/sites/llu.edu/files/2021-03/lluh-11-8-code-silver-hostage.pdf)
PEDS ED refers to the pediatric emergency department at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, where the swatting caller falsely claimed to be located
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Code Silver – Active Threat LLUH has declared a Code Silver – Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant at PEDS ED This is not a drill: Initiate immediate protective actions. If confronted with a threat, RUN, HIDE, FIGHT. Additional information to follow.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree the sender is identified by "LLUH", declaring a "Code Silver".

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "LLUH", identifying Loma Linda University Health as sender.
    2. present: It identifies "LLUH" as declaring the code, the institutional sender.
    3. present: It names "LLUH" as the institution declaring the alert.
    4. present: It names "LLUH" declaring a "Code Silver", identifying the sender.
    5. present: It identifies "LLUH" declaring a "Code Silver", naming the issuing institution.
    6. present: It names "LLUH", which declared the Code Silver, identifying the sender.
    7. present: Identifies "LLUH" declaring a Code Silver, the issuing institution.
    8. present: It names "LLUH" declaring the code, identifying the issuer.
    9. present: Names "LLUH" declaring a "Code Silver", identifying the sending institution.
    10. present: It references "LLUH" declaring the code, identifying the sender.
    11. present: Identifies "LLUH" declaring a Code Silver, the issuing source.
    12. present: Names "LLUH" as the entity declaring the Code Silver.
    13. present: It names "LLUH" declaring a "Code Silver", the issuing authority.
    14. present: Identifies the sender as "LLUH" declaring a "Code Silver".
    15. present: Identifies "LLUH" declaring the Code Silver, the issuing authority.
    16. present: Names "LLUH" and declares a "Code Silver", identifying the sender institution.
    17. present: Names "LLUH" as the entity declaring the Code Silver.
    18. present: It names "LLUH" declaring a "Code Silver", identifying the sender.
    19. present: It names "LLUH" declaring a Code Silver, identifying the sender.
    20. present: It names "LLUH" declaring the code, identifying the issuing institution.
    21. present: Names "LLUH", which "has declared a Code Silver", identifying the sender.
    22. present: It names "LLUH" declaring the code, identifying the sender.
    23. present: It names "LLUH" declaring the code, identifying the institution as source.
    24. present: Identifies "LLUH" declaring the code, the issuing authority.
    25. present: It names "LLUH" issuing a "Code Silver", identifying the source.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that specific threats are named, "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant".

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", specific threats.
    2. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    3. present: It reports an "Armed Assailant" in a "Code Silver", a specific threat.
    4. present: It names "Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant", a specific hazard.
    5. present: It names a "Code Silver, Active Threat, Report of Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    6. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    7. present: Names a "Code Silver, Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    8. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant at PEDS ED", a specific threat.
    9. present: Names "Active Threat" and "Report of Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    10. present: It names a "Code Silver, Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    11. present: Names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", a specific hazard.
    12. present: It names "Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    13. present: It names the threat specifically: "Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant".
    14. present: Names the hazard specifically as an "Active Threat: Report of Armed Assailant at PEDS ED".
    15. present: Names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", specific hazards.
    16. present: Names "Active Threat" and "Report of Armed Assailant", a specific threat.
    17. present: Names "Active Threat" / "Armed Assailant", a specific hazard.
    18. present: It reports an "Armed Assailant at PEDS ED", a specific hazard.
    19. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", specific threats.
    20. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", specific hazards.
    21. present: Names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", a specific hazard.
    22. present: It names "Active Threat" and "Report of Armed Assailant", a specific hazard.
    23. present: It names "Active Threat ... Report of Armed Assailant", a specific hazard.
    24. present: Names "Active Threat" and "Armed Assailant", specific threats.
    25. present: It reports an "Armed Assailant at PEDS ED", a specific threat.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree a specific location is named, "PEDS ED".

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    2. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    3. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    4. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    5. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    6. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    7. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    8. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    9. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    10. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    11. present: Says "at PEDS ED", a specific location.
    12. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    13. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    14. present: Specifies "PEDS ED", a named place.
    15. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    16. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    17. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    18. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    19. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    20. present: It names "PEDS ED" as the location of the report.
    21. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    22. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    23. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
    24. present: Names "PEDS ED", a specific location.
    25. present: It names "PEDS ED", a specific place.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that protective actions are given: "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    2. present: It instructs to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    3. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    4. present: It instructs "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    5. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    6. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    7. present: Instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    8. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    9. present: Instructs "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    10. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    11. present: Instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    12. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    13. present: It instructs "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    14. present: Instructs "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    15. present: Instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    16. present: Instructs to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    17. present: Instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    18. present: It instructs people to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    19. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    20. present: It tells recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    21. present: Instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT".
    22. present: It instructs "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    23. present: It instructs "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    24. present: Instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
    25. present: It instructs recipients to "Initiate immediate protective actions" and "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT", protective actions.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree "immediate" is a recency cue, so timing is present.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It says to initiate "immediate" protective actions, a recency cue.
    2. present: "immediate" conveys recency and urgency.
    3. present: The word "immediate" conveys urgency and recency.
    4. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
    5. present: It uses the recency cue "immediate".
    6. present: It says "immediate" and "This is not a drill", conveying urgency and recency.
    7. present: Says to act "immediate", a recency and urgency cue.
    8. present: It says to take "immediate protective actions", a recency cue.
    9. present: Says "immediate", conveying urgency and recency.
    10. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
    11. present: Says "immediate", a recency cue.
    12. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
    13. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
    14. present: Says "immediate", a recency cue.
    15. present: Says "immediate", conveying urgency.
    16. present: Uses "immediate", a recency cue.
    17. present: Says to take "immediate" protective actions, a recency cue.
    18. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
    19. present: It says to take "immediate" protective actions, a recency cue.
    20. present: It says take "immediate" protective actions, a recency cue.
    21. present: Says to take "immediate" protective actions, a recency cue.
    22. present: It says "immediate" and "This is not a drill", conveying urgency and recency.
    23. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
    24. present: Says "immediate", a recency cue.
    25. present: It says "immediate", a recency cue.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present unanimously (25 of 25): declares an armed assailant active threat, states this is not a drill, and directs run-hide-fight protective actions, conveying lethal danger to people.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Declares an active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight, conveying a clear violent threat to people.
    2. present: It declares an active threat and instructs run hide fight if confronted with a threat, conveying danger to personal safety.
    3. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and run hide fight instructions, conveying a deadly armed threat.
    4. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and says if confronted RUN HIDE FIGHT, implying direct danger of harm.
    5. present: It declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs RUN HIDE FIGHT, with the armed assailant being a clearly implied lethal danger.
    6. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with armed assailant and instructs run hide fight if confronted with a threat, conveying lethal danger.
    7. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run, hide, fight, implying serious danger to people.
    8. present: Declares an active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight conveying danger of attack.
    9. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight, conveying danger of harm.
    10. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight, conveying serious physical danger.
    11. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run, hide, fight, conveying clear threat of harm.
    12. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and run-hide-fight, conveying serious danger to people.
    13. present: Declares an active threat with an armed assailant and orders run-hide-fight, conveying deadly danger to people.
    14. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run-hide-fight if confronted with a threat, conveying danger to people.
    15. present: Declares an active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run, hide, fight if confronted with a threat, conveying danger of harm.
    16. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight if confronted with a threat, framing immediate danger requiring protective action.
    17. present: It declares an active threat with an armed assailant and run hide fight instructions, conveying lethal danger.
    18. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and run hide fight instructions, conveying clear lethal danger.
    19. present: Declares a Code Silver Active Threat with an armed assailant and run hide fight instructions, conveying imminent lethal danger.
    20. present: Declares an active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run, hide, fight, conveying clearly implied lethal danger.
    21. present: It declares an active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight if confronted with a threat, implying danger to life.
    22. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with an armed assailant and run-hide-fight guidance, conveying serious danger to people.
    23. present: Declares an active threat with an armed assailant and instructs run hide fight, with fight implying a danger to life.
    24. present: Declares an active threat with a report of an armed assailant at an ED and orders run-hide-fight, conveying lethal danger to people.
    25. present: Declares a Code Silver active threat with run-hide-fight if confronted with a threat, conveying explicit danger to people if confronted.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Loma Linda University Health is a Seventh-day Adventist health-sciences institution in Loma Linda, California, that operates the Loma Linda University Medical Center, a Level I trauma center, and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital alongside its medical, dental, nursing, and allied health schools. On March 12, 2025, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department received a swatting call reporting an armed person at the children's hospital. The caller claimed he had an AR-15 and a bomb and that 'voices' were telling him to shoot up the hospital. The hospital activated a Code Silver lockdown, the LLUH Alerts emergency notification system sent a 'Run, Hide, Fight' message to students and employees, and approximately 200 law enforcement units responded. Patients were evacuated from some hospital areas. After hours of searching, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced at 8:10 p.m. PDT that the hospital had been cleared and no suspect or weapon had been located. The Sheriff's Department later opened an investigation into the swatting call as part of a broader wave of Southern California swatting incidents in early 2025. The case is significant for the campus alert archive because it documents the response of a private health-sciences institution where the campus alert population includes both clinical employees and students at the affiliated graduate health-sciences schools, and because the Loma Linda Children's Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals on the West Coast, a high-stakes target for hospital swatting.
Analysis

Key Findings

The swatting caller specifically named an AR-15 and a bomb, the kind of detail that drives a maximum-scale law-enforcement response and produced approximately 200 responding units
The campus alert was sent in parallel with a Code Silver hospital lockdown, illustrating the dual-track emergency response of a teaching hospital with affiliated graduate schools
The 'This is not a drill: Initiate immediate protective actions' opening is one of the few examples of verbatim health-sciences campus-alert text preserved in journalism
The incident was part of a documented wave of Southern California hospital and school swatting calls in early 2025 investigated for connection by law enforcement
Patient evacuations from some hospital areas reflect the unique operational tension of locking down a children's hospital where patients cannot simply 'shelter in place'
Outcome
No suspect was located. No shots were fired and no injuries occurred. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department later identified the call as a swatting incident, part of a wave of similar swatting calls in Southern California in early 2025, and opened an investigation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    "Swatting call" forces lockdown at Loma Linda hospital - CBS Los Angeles
    cbsnews.com
    archived copy
  2. News
    Swatting call draws heavy police presence at Loma Linda hospital, report of armed suspect unfounded - ABC7 Los Angeles
    abc7.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Detectives launch investigation into swatting call that forced Loma Linda hospital to evacuate - CBS Los Angeles
    cbsnews.com
    archived copy
  4. Source
    Swatting Call Prompts Large Police Response at Southern California Hospital - Campus Safety Magazine
    campussafetymagazine.com
    archived copy
  5. Social
    San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department - Loma Linda Hospital Incident Update - Facebook
    facebook.com
    archived copy
  6. Official
    Loma Linda University Health Code Silver Protocol
    llu.edu
    archived copy
  7. News
    A rise in swatting cases has led to multiple lockdowns throughout SoCal - ABC7 Los Angeles
    abc7.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Loma Linda University Health: Swatting call claiming a rifle and bomb locked down a hospital campus for hours." Incident of March 12, 2025. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/loma-linda-university-health-swatting-2025-03-12/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
swattingmedical-schoolhealth-scienceshospital-lockdowncode-silvercalifornialoma-lindachildrens-hospitalseventh-day-adventistrun-hide-fightprivate-r2Hoax
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion