A man was arrested after trying to get into a Seattle elementary school. He was also trying to steal a DHL truck. It started around 2:45 p.m. last Thursday at Sand Point Elementary school. It all happened when the man hopped a fence and tried to get inside the school. The principal put the school on lockdown while the staff escorted the man off-campus. He also attacked a delivery driver.
The man was not finish. He jumped aboard a bus before fighting with officers, according to police reports. Not too much later, he was seen getting inside a DHL truck. There, he attacked the driver and tried to steal the truck. He failed at stealing the truck. However, he ran into traffic before jumping on a bus.
It all ended on the bus where officers got on the bus and arrested him. One of the officers was hurt. A wrist fracture was received by a cop while detaining the suspect. He was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of robbery and assault.
The charges were downgraded to several misdemeanors. The man has an extensive criminal record. He has been arrested at least nine times in the past 12 months. It is reported that he will be considered for mental competency evaluation during a hearing this week. Children and mentally ill persons usually are not identified when sending out criminal information.
Due to the school shootings, serious questions are being asked about how he was able to enter the elementary school’s campus and got inside a classroom in the first place. The school said a substitute teacher assigned to the class wasn’t familiar with the system which allowed the man to get inside.
Police said witnesses spotted the man when he began to climb the fence. Some of the children were rushed into a portable classroom. After the intruder left the campus, he tried to steal a delivery van and assaulted the driver in the process, according to police reports. By then officers had arrived.
District officials said the principal and teachers were doing their best to keep students safe in a challenging situation. Responding officers said some school staff initially were not fully cooperative which delayed their ability to act.
