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Bomb threat, report of gun prompt lockdowns at Santa Maria high schools

PVHS lockdown.JPG
Posted at 11:08 AM, May 24, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-24 22:30:27-04

UPDATE (2:16 p.m.) - Shortly after the lockdown was lifted at Pioneer Valley High School, another was issued at Santa Maria High due to a reported bomb threat Wednesday.

A Santa Maria Joint Union High School District spokesperson says the campus was put on lockdown around 11:35 a.m. after an anonymous call came in reporting a bomb threat on campus.

School officials say Santa Maria police officers thoroughly checked the campus and determined the threat to be unfounded.

The lockdown was lifted at 1:12 p.m.

Police were expected to be on campus and in the surrounding community for the rest of the day, school officials said.

UPDATE (12:03 p.m.) - A spokesperson for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District says the lockdown was issued at around 10:48 a.m. as a precautionary measure after school administration received information there may have been a gun inside a vacant car in the school parking lot.

The spokesperson says police arrived, "confiscated a weapon and took the alleged responsible party into custody."

Activities at the school have resumed and are back to normal.

The lockdown was lifted shortly before 11:30 a.m.

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UPDATE (11:34 a.m.) - Santa Maria police say a person was taken into custody at Pioneer Valley High School Wednesday morning.

Police were called to the school for reports of a student with a gun. Police responded and tell KSBY they found the suspect, confirmed they had a gun and took them into custody.

The lockdown was lifted shortly before 11:30 a.m.

No other information was immediately available.

ORIGINAL STORY: Police activity prompted a lockdown at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria Wednesday morning.

Police said they were on scene in the area as of 11 a.m. but would not disclose what possible incident they were responding to.

A Santa Maria police lieutenant said the lockdown was not initiated by the police department.

The school, located at 675 Panther Dr. in Santa Maria, has not yet responded to KSBY’s request for information.

This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

*This story has been updated after authorities did not confirm whether the person taken into custody was a student