The foolishness began in South Carolina with frightening, false accounts of clowns attempting to lure children into the woods. From there, reported sightings of so-called creepy clowns spread to other states and even prompted the White House to weigh in on the frenzy. “They were not the friendly-type of clown,” said Ali Villalobos, a community service officer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in Lancaster. Earlier this week, online pranksters terrorized schools in Oakland, Fairfield and Sacramento by threatening violence against students and staff. Since the clown sightings started in August in South Carolina, police there have attempted to dispel any rumors that the clowns tried to contact or lure children into the woods.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 05, 2016 19:49 UTC