Threats of a lawless scenario in Louisville, Kentucky similar to the movie "The Purge" went viral Friday evening causing the cancellation of a football game and prompted police to step up patrols across the city.

The purge scare emanated from a flier that a teenager posted on facebook and Twitter containing a collage of the movie poster and the time stamp "8:00pm - 6:30am".

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Louisville Metro Police have tracked down and identified the source of the flier as a male teenager who attends Iroquois High School.

"It was originally supposed to be just a fun thing, I never thought it'd get as serious as it did," the teenager said, referring to the ruckus his online joke had caused. 

Hoax or not, the police said they were not taking any chances, warning residents to be on their toes and call 911 if they notice anything suspicious.

In the movie "The Purge", all crime is legal for 24 hours.

As a precaution, police ramped up patrols around Louisville. Residents were being cautious as well, posting online that they will be armed during the night, according to First Coast News. 

"We don't know if [those responses are] a hoax or not," police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said.

The purge threat had caused the cancellation of a high school football game, with the coaches saying they would rather be safe than risk injuring their students.

The idea of creating a fake purge has been gaining ground online. Similar purge rumors have been circulating on social media in cities such as Detroit, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Miami, and Cleveland.

TagsLouisville purge, The Purge