Lockdown at Hazel Dell Elementary School ended

An elementary school in the Hazel Dell area went into a brief lockdown Thursday afternoon while sheriff’s deputies pursued two men who fled the area after they were approached by officers near a parked vehicle.

At about 10:20 a.m., the Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of two men working on a Chrylser Sebring that was parked overnight near Northwest 68th Street and Northwest 4th Avenue. The two men were reportedly acting suspicious, said Sgt. Chad Rothenberger. As deputies approached the vehicle, the men fled.

“It is unclear if the men were working on a stolen car or in the midst of an auto prowl,” Rothenberger said.

Hazel Dell Elementary School, 511 N.E. Anderson St., was placed into a temporary lockdown at about 10:45 a.m. while deputies and a K-9 unit pursued the men.

The school is located about a mile from where the vehicle was parked.

It is unclear how long the lockdown was in place. The Columbian received confirmation shortly after noon that the lockdown had been lifted.

Rothenberger said one man, whose name was not immediately available, was taken into custody. The other remains on the loose.