Precautionary Lockdowns at Two Schools

Editor's note: Here's the follow-up article to the incident, which includes details and information on an arrest as well as a suspect description.

• MBPD Captures Burglary Suspect; 2nd One Eludes Police

Two Manhattan Beach schools were in a "precautionary lockdown," the result of a police search for a burglary suspect Monday shortly after 12:20 p.m.

Manhattan Beach Unified School District Superintendent Mike Matthews said Meadows Elementary and Manhattan Beach Preschool were placed on a precautionary lockdown and each school would notify parents.

He said MBMS was never put on lockdown despite previous information that it had been. He said the front gates were secured as a precautionary measure. Patch previously reported the school was in lockdown, according to MBPD. 

Matthews told Patch as of 2:51 pm., Meadows and the preschool were no longer on lockdown and parents had been notified they could pick up their child.

MBPD Officer Stephanie Martin said the lockdowns are to prevent the suspect from getting onto school campuses.

The incident began around 12:20 p.m. when a resident near 17th Street and Meadows Avenue came home and confronted burglary suspects. One suspect has been detained; police broke down the contained area they'd been searching for another suspect around 3:15 p.m.

MBPD received assistance via helicopter from Hawthorne PD and used K-9 units to search the area.

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