Student's Photoshopped Clown Pic On FB Accidentally Started Campus Manhunt

When did clowns stop becoming a joke and start evolving into a living, breathing nightmare?

The answer is 2016.

Earlier this week, we covered how two joggers recorded a clown wielding a knife that chased them down.

Yeah, I'd expect something like this to happen in "The Purge," but not in an actual news cycle.

Of course, this is one incident in a long string of super-threatening clown sightings.

Like, imagine this last event was a handkerchief connected to many other handkerchiefs emerging out of the sleeve of a clown.

Actually, don't... because that imagery legitimately made me nervous.

For instance, there was the guy who was arrested for dressing up as a clown in Kentucky, and there have been numerous reports of clowns trying to lure kids into the woods in Greenville, South Carolina.

Basically, America is turning into Stephen King's "It," and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

Well, one moderately adept Photoshopper decided to capitalize on this creepy national phenomenon by editing a clown into a photo of his college's campus and posting that photo on the college's Facebook page.

What could possibly go wrong?

A lot.

A lot could and did go wrong.

Naturally, people started flipping out.

The social media post led to a campus-wide manhunt involving weapons and helicopters.

Imagine if a clown was hired by a fraternity or a sorority to perform for some Greek social event.

"HI, TRI-DELTA, I'M OUTSIDE READY FOR MY GIG... OH HELLO, MR. POLICE HELICOPTER. HOW CAN I HELP YOU?"

Well, the creator of this fabricated picture went into full detail about how things got out of hand:

I posted it on my school's class Facebook page and thought nothing else would come of it. Holy shit was I wrong. My roommate calls me about a half hour after I posted the image and says ;Holy shit man, people are outside of the place where you posted that pic (he was in on the joke).' They have golf clubs, and campus security is talking about bringing in Metro Police. Fuck. I immediately went on to my post on the Facebook page to discover that pretty much everyone thought it was a real picture... Security was telling everyone in the area to stay locked inside their dorms until we get the all-clear. As my roommate walked into the dorm, he said there were helicopters with searchlights looking for this clown. If they catch a clown they will either be arrested or expelled, depending on whether or not they're a student.

Yeah, maybe it's not the wisest idea to lead a bunch of 21-year-olds into thinking a renegade clown is trying to f*ck up their partying schedule.

We're glad there's no real clown on the loose.

Citations: Student Photoshops Picture Of A Creepy Clown On Campus, All Hell Breaks Loose Including Weapons And Helicopters (Brobible)