3 Parents Arrested for Attempting to Enter Arizona School During Lockdown
Parents arrived at the school during the lockdown and confronted officers when they weren’t allowed to get their children.
El Mirage, Arizona – Three parents were arrested Friday when they tried to get into an elementary school that was in lockdown after there were reports that a man was near the school who had a gun. The parents were trying to pick up and protect their children.
The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. at Thompson Ranch Elementary School, which was placed on lockdown after police received a call that a person with a gun was near the campus, reports 12News.
Authorities say a man who appeared to have a firearm tried to gain access to the campus via an exterior door. The attempt was not successful, and the suspect fled the scene. His attempt prompted the campus to immediately go into lockdown, reports Yahoo News.
According to the El Mirage Police Department, parents, who had been notified by their children, started arriving at the school and confronted officers when they weren’t allowed on campus. Three parents were arrested. One of them was carrying a gun.
Officers also used stun guns on two of the parents during the incident, reports 12News.
The suspect was apprehended a few hours later off campus. He is being evaluated for mental health issues, and charges are pending.
The ordeal happened nearly three months after the Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Police response to that incident is currently under intense scrutiny because officers were delayed going into the classroom where the massacre was happening.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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