US: 11-year-old girl arrested for carrying knife to school, feared clown attacks

A young child was arrested for carrying a knife to school. The 11-year-old said she needed it as protection against clowns jumping out of woods and attacking children.

Police say a fearful 11-year-old Georgia girl who took a knife to school told officers she needed the weapon to fend off clowns.

A young child was arrested for carrying a knife to school. The 11-year-old said she needed it as protection against clowns jumping out of woods and attacking children. (Representative/Shutterstock)

The Athens Banner-Herald reports the girl was arrested on Friday at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Athens amid reports and social media posts about clowns frightening children in Georgia and other states.

An Athens-Clarke County police report states the girl said she needed the knife to protect her and her family because she had heard the stories about clowns jumping out of the woods and attacking children.

Police say they released the girl to her mother on a charge of possession of a weapon on school grounds.

In neighbouring Alabama, law enforcement officials are warning that people involved in a rash of creepy clown hoaxes across the state could be prosecuted.