{
  "id": "2023-04-13-lamar-institute-of-technology-swatting",
  "slug": "lamar-institute-of-technology-swatting-2023-04-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Lamar Institute of Technology",
    "shortName": "LIT",
    "state": "TX",
    "type": "technical-college",
    "alertSystemName": "LIT Alert",
    "enrollment": 3000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-04-13",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Hoax call of a rifle on campus prompts evacuation; classes canceled for the day",
    "headlinePublic": "Hoax call of a rifle on campus prompts evacuation; classes canceled for the day",
    "summary": "Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont evacuated its campus on April 13, 2023, after a hoax call claiming a person with an AR-15-style rifle was entering the IT department, one of at least eight Texas colleges swatted that morning. Beaumont police [received the call just before 10:20 a.m. CDT](https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/crime/false-report-active-shooter-at-lamar-institute-of-technology/502-d3dce8a4-a91c-42e4-b230-63219fc780d3) and helped Lamar police check buildings, finding no weapons. Students and staff were notified by email to evacuate to the Beaumont Civic Center; [classes were canceled and the campus closed for the day](https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-college-hoax-calls/503-e07b2a35-0f9a-4b46-8c8d-fa278ce60383).",
    "outcome": "Beaumont and Lamar police searched the buildings and found no weapons. The threat was confirmed as a hoax; classes were canceled and the campus closed for the rest of the day with no injuries.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Mid-morning, just before 10:20 a.m. CDT on April 13, 2023, when Beaumont police received the hoax call",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Lamar Institute of Technology is currently evacuating the campus due to a threat received on April 13, 2023. All students, staff and faculty are required to evacuate to the Beaumont Civic Center, 701 Main Street.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://kfdm.com/news/local/another-hoax-call-causes-concern-at-lamar-campus-and-montagne-center",
      "sourceDescription": "KFDM/Fox 4 Beaumont, which quoted the LIT evacuation alert verbatim (identical wording also reproduced by 12NewsNow)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim recovery: KFDM/Fox 4 Beaumont and 12NewsNow independently reproduce the identical LIT alert wording, including the specific reunification address '701 Main Street,' confirming this is the actual message rather than a paraphrase.",
        "Unlike campuses that ordered shelter-in-place, LIT chose full evacuation, sending people off-site to a designated reunification point."
      ],
      "characterCount": 212
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Later on April 13, 2023, after Beaumont and Lamar police checked the buildings and found no weapons",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from 12NewsNow reporting that the calls were a hoax, classes were canceled, and the campus closed for the day",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "Lamar Institute of Technology is a public technical college in Beaumont. On April 13, 2023, it was one of at least eight Texas colleges and universities hit by hoax active-shooter calls in a [coordinated swatting wave](https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-college-hoax-calls/503-e07b2a35-0f9a-4b46-8c8d-fa278ce60383) that also struck Del Mar College, Tyler Junior College, Texas Wesleyan, Collin College, Galen College of Nursing, Texas A&M, and Baylor. Just before 10:20 a.m. CDT, Beaumont police received notice that a [person with an AR-15-style rifle was going into the IT department at LIT](https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/crime/false-report-active-shooter-at-lamar-institute-of-technology/502-d3dce8a4-a91c-42e4-b230-63219fc780d3). Officers helped Lamar police check the buildings and found no weapons. Students and staff were emailed to evacuate to the Beaumont Civic Center, and classes were canceled and the campus closed for the rest of the day. [TIME reported the spring 2023 hoaxes set off alarms on campuses nationwide](https://time.com/7312487/active-shooter-false-reports-school-swatting/), and the FBI treated the swatting calls as a serious crime that endangered responders and students alike.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "LIT evacuated its Beaumont campus to the Civic Center on April 13, 2023, over a hoax 'AR-15 in the IT department' call",
    "The technical college was one of at least eight Texas campuses swatted that morning",
    "LIT chose full evacuation and a same-day campus closure rather than shelter-in-place"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Another hoax call causes concern at Lamar campus and Montagne Center - KFDM/Fox 4 Beaumont",
      "url": "https://kfdm.com/news/local/another-hoax-call-causes-concern-at-lamar-campus-and-montagne-center",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Reports of active shooter at Lamar Institute of Technology deemed to be hoax - 12NewsNow",
      "url": "https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/crime/false-report-active-shooter-at-lamar-institute-of-technology/502-d3dce8a4-a91c-42e4-b230-63219fc780d3",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "8 Texas colleges and universities receive hoax calls about active shooter Thursday morning - KIII-TV",
      "url": "https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-college-hoax-calls/503-e07b2a35-0f9a-4b46-8c8d-fa278ce60383",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Active Shooter Hoaxes Set Off Alarms on College Campuses - TIME",
      "url": "https://time.com/7312487/active-shooter-false-reports-school-swatting/",
      "type": "other"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "active-shooter-hoax",
    "texas",
    "technical-college",
    "beaumont",
    "evacuation",
    "emergency-notification",
    "confirmed-hoax",
    "2023-texas-swatting-wave"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-28",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}