© dpa/Frank Rumpenhorst
The 14-year-old boy was headed to the bus stop Tuesday morning near Sandalwood Place on his way to school at Columbus North International School. He said around 6:15 a.m., a guy in a clown mask, dressed in all black, chased him with a knife.
Moms in that neighborhood said they're reminding their kids to pay attention and follow their gut.
"I thought it was crazy!" said mom of two Tombi Williams, who lives in the neighborhood where it happened.
Recently, there have been reports of clowns luring children in South Carolina. Williams couldn't believe this time it was in her backyard.
"I did not think it was here, but it goes to show things crazy and stupid can happen everywhere."
Mom of four Tasha Jones worries about her teenagers not paying attention.
"(I'm) very concerned because one of them plays Pokemon a lot on his phone, so I told him 'you have to be more aware now,'" she said.
Columbus Police said whether it's a scary prank or something more sinister, they're taking it seriously.
"We don't expect it during the early morning hours when people are going to work or school, so is there a concern there, yeah," said Sgt. Rich Weiner with Columbus Police. "We will have units in the area patrolling to make sure that this does not occur again."
These moms say until the guy is caught, they'll keep a closer eye on their kids.
CCS says they will now be monitoring the bus stop where the boy says he saw the clown.
Comment: Clown trying to lure kids into woods in Greenville County, SC