By Alissa Widman Neese, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – A knife-wielding clown reported in the Northland area might prove a hoax, but Columbus police say they aren’t taking any chances.
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A 14-year-old boy told police that a 6-foot-tall man in dark clothing and a clown mask chased him a short distance as he walked to a school bus stop about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, said police spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner.
Samuel H. Wisecarver told police that the incident occurred just before sunrise in his neighborhood, near Satinwood and Ironwood drives.
He fended off the clown by throwing a rock at him, then fled to the bus stop, according to a police report. He arrived safely at Columbus North International School in the University District and reported the incident to officials there.
The school district’s security personnel and police will monitor the area where the clown was seen, they said. They haven’t seen anything suspicious since. Forest Park Elementary School is just down the road.
“We don’t know if it was a targeted incident or some kind of prank, but any time a person is chasing someone with a weapon we take it seriously,” Weiner said.
The culprit, if caught, could face menacing charges, he said.
The incident comes on the heels of reports from Greenville, S.C., of people dressed as clowns trying to lure children into a wooded area near some apartment complexes. There were two reports last week and at least one more this week. Deputies responding to the report last week said they found no evidence of anyone in the woods