PALMDALE – Barrel Springs Elementary and Desert Willow Elementary were placed on lock down Thursday due to threats made from a transient on a bicycle, authorities said. The following is the press report from the Palmdale Station.
Palmdale Station Deputies responded to an informant’s home [around 10 a.m. Thursday], near the 3100 Block of Dolomite Avenue, in response to a report of threats of school violence.
The informant stated as she exited her home she saw a 25 to 35-year-old Black male standing nearby.
She described him as a local transient that had been seen in the neighborhood several times. She said the male told her, “Barrel Springs is going to get shot up!”
She believed the male had some type of object concealed inside his jacket. The informant went inside her residence and called Palmdale Station as the suspect rode away on a bicycle.
The informant believed the threat was directed towards Barrel Springs Elementary School which is five blocks away; however, the male never named the school as an intended target.
Palmdale Deputies responded to Barrel Springs Elementary School (3636 Ponderosa Way) and contacted school officials. Based upon the information, they decided to place the school on a modified lockdown.
Another nearby school, Desert Willow Elementary (36555 Sunny Lane), was notified and their administrators also placed that school on a modified lockdown.
Deputies conducted a search of both schools and the neighboring areas but did not locate the male. Both schools decided to remain on a modified lockdown until the end of the school day.
The ongoing investigation is being handled by the Palmdale Station Detective Bureau.
