Clown hysteria hits Hawaii, prompting security fears

WAIANAE, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Creepy clown hysteria has reached Hawaii.

On the mainland in recent weeks, there's been a spate of creepy clown sightings and even assaults. Several people have been arrested following threats.

And on Thursday, rumors of threats to Waianae Intermediate by a group of clowns prompted an official response from the school's administrators.

Parents and students got concerned after an 808Clownz Instagram post implied there would be an attack on campus Friday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii said it received an inquiry about clowns making threats.

Both threats turned out to be products of hoaxes, but residents remain on edge.

"I don't think it's funny. It could be a joke but it's not funny. A threat is a threat and we gotta take it seriously," said Barbara Mindoro, parent of a student at Waianae Intermediate.

Honolulu police visited the Waianae campus Thursday, but said there were no actual reports of suspicious activity. They urged anyone with information about actual threats to call 911.

Dennis Drake, spokesman for the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii, added: "We have not had any confirmed sightings of clowns on any of our Army bases. Our MPs have not had any phone calls."

All this clown hysteria is also causing concern for ... legitimate clowns.

Chris Teijeiro has worked as a clown in Hawaii for more than 30 years. He said the so-called clown attack C\craze on the mainland started out as a prank that got out of hand.

"People have to understand, clowns aren't really scary. It's people are scary," said Teijeiro, who works as Chris Da Clown. "My dog is not even afraid of me, man."

He said the alleged threats at Waianae Intermediate are just mean-spirited. "Bullies are never good and people who try to scare people are never good. But it will all go away by the end of Halloween," he said.

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