Lockdown At Fruitland Elementary Ends Safely; Police Say Response Necessary

PUYALLUP, WA - Puyallup police locked down Fruitland Elementary on Thursday afternoon after three students reported seeing a man with a weapon.

The lockdown ended without incident, but police say such a response is important whenever there's a threat so close to a school.

"We understand incidents like this are scary and alarming to students, staff, and parents. We also realize that it is an agonizing wait while we are trying to determine if everything is safe to release students," police said in a statement on Facebook Thursday. "In the end, these incidents require a very methodical and safe process on our end that is done in conjunction with the Puyallup School District. We are always going to be extra, extra safe with our most precious folks - our children."

The incident began around 3 p.m. Thursday when three students out on recess saw two men walking through the woods near the school and thought one of the men carrying a weapon. The students reported what they saw to a teacher, and the school contacted police.

When police arrived, they searched the woods near the school, and called in King County Sheriff's Guardian One chopper to do an aerial search. When no one was spotted nearby, police cleared the scene and took the school off of lockdown.

Image via Google Maps