MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. ā It was a terrifying Friday for Nicklaus Children's Hospital. The Miami-Dade Police Department was investigating phone threats warning of a bomb and an active shooter.Ā
The 2:58 p.m. call prompted an evacuation,Ā Miami-Dade Police Detective DanielĀ FerrinĀ said. Police kept patients who were in critical condition with the doctors, while snipers climbed up to the roof.
Ā Police said searches of the hospital, at 3100 SWĀ 62ndĀ Ave., and surrounding areas revealed no credible threats. Ā
Hospital spokeswoman Rachel Perry later said a shooting never happened. And after several hours, authorities said they didn't find a bomb. They deemed the hospital safe.Ā
"We are grateful for the calm," Perry said about 8:45 p.m.Ā
But before Perry's announcement there was fear. A woman said that her daughter, who works at the hospital, couldn't leave the building. Ā Another woman said she was holding her baby, as she and five others were locked inside a bathroom on the third floor. A father and his son waited in a room.Ā
Hospital coordinator Jenny Rakitina said she didn't know what was going on, but she and others hid anyway. A person was crying. She felt terror when someone started knocking on the door.Ā
"We asked if it was really a shooter," Rakitina said. "We didn't know if it was the police or somebody else ... We opened the door and then we saw a few other guys standing there with their guns and we just ran down."
Miami-Dade police said traffic near the hospital was being rerouted. No injuries were reported and the report was deemed to be a false alarm.Ā