11-year-old girl arrested for bringing knife to school to fight clowns

According to police, an 11-year-old girl from Georgia was so afraid of clowns, she brought a knife to school.

The Athens Banner-Herald reports that the girl was arrested Friday at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Athens.

Her arrest follows a swirl of social media threats and other reports of clowns harassing children in Georgia and other southern states.

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

The girl has been released to her mother on a charge of possession of a weapon on school grounds.

Nearby in Alabama, law enforcement officials are warning people about a series of creepy clown hoaxes, according to AP.