UPDATE (7:10 p.m.) – Santa Maria Police say a student was temporarily detained after a scare at the Pioneer Valley High School campus Friday.
Police say the school administration learned that there may have been a student on campus with a firearm around 2:55 p.m. Friday. The school was placed on lockdown as a precaution, and police were notified of an armed threat on campus.
Officers arrived at the scene, and they were able to identify the student believed to have been armed. Officers then searched for the student both on and off campus. Officers eventually located the student in a vehicle away from the school and detained him as part of the investigation.
Once the student was located and officers determined there was no longer a threat, the lockdown was lifted around 4 p.m.
Police say they investigated the situation, but determined no criminal violation had happened, so the detained student was released back to his parents. His name was not released.
Police issued a thank you to school staff and administrators for their assistance during the response on campus. Officers say parents and guardians of students were very cooperative, which allowed officers to quickly search for the student.
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UPDATE (4 p.m.) – Police say a suspect has been taken into custody away from the school and that the campus is safe.
UPDATE (3:40 p.m.) – School officials say police have thoroughly searched the campus and given the “all clear.”
Any students remaining on campus were released.
ORIGINAL STORY (3:14 p.m.) – The Santa Maria Police Department is responding to a report of a student who may have had a gun at Pioneer Valley High School on Friday afternoon.
Police say the report is unsubstantiated at this time, but they are taking all precautions and the school was locked down as of 3 p.m. Most students had already been released from class by that time.
Police say officers are in contact with school officials and Panther Dr. was blocked off in both directions. The public is being asked to avoid the area.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
