A tripod mistaken for a shotgun prompted the lockdown of a private high school campus in West Hills Tuesday morning.
Chaminade College Prepatory high school had been locked down after the report of the man with a shotgun was made at about 9:40 a.m.
"Chaminade High School Campus is currently on lockdown. Faculty and Staff are following all safety procedures and all students and staff are reported to be safe. We will provide more information as soon as possible. Please do not call the school and stay away from the campus until further notice," the Catholic school stated on its website.
Vice Pricipal of Academics Gregory Klee said at a news conference just before noon that the school was locked down within five minutes. The school, which was in the midst of final exams, remained on lockdown, Klee said. The campus has private security, he said.
Another official said it was unknown who had made a call to police.
The situation was resolved and those on scene said a student with a boom microphone had been mistaken for the shotgun. Police said the student was carrying a tripod.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga Division investigated and searched the campus.
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The sighting occurred in the 7500 block of Chaminade Avenue (map) after a parent saw a man on campus with a weapon, according to LAPD.
"At this time, only one person reported seeing the possible suspect," the department said in an alert message.
The campus was being searched room by room, LAPD stated.
Arlene Britt, a parent at the site of the school's news conference, said "we think of Connecticut," in reference to the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. She said she had begun praying when she heard about the lockdown.
Parents and students at the school said multiple security drills had prepared the campus for such scenarios.
"What it is to be a parent in US these days," tweeted Robert Lusetich at about 10 a.m. "My son just texted he's in lockdown. SWAT team at his school, rifles drawn. #Chaminade."
