Santa Clarita school lockdowns lifted following search for man armed with gun

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (KABC) -- A search for a man armed with a gun in a Santa Clarita neighborhood on Tuesday morning prompted lockdowns for more than two hours at three local school campuses, authorities said.

"Soft lockdowns" were in effect at Arroyo Seco Junior High School and Santa Clarita Elementary School due to police activity in the area of Seco Canyon Road and Guadilamar Drive, sheriff's officials announced shortly after 11:30 a.m.

Primetime Preschool at Santa Clarita Park was also on lockdown, according to Santa Clarita city officials.

The lockdowns were lifted around 1:45 p.m. and police said parents could begin picking up their children. Officials did not announce that any suspect was in custody.

The lockdown began after a parole compliance team was in the area when the suspect absconded from officers and fled the location, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He was described as a Hispanic man in his mid-20s, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build and dark-colored clothing.