Police in Wisconsin arrested a man believed to be armed who tried to enter Roosevelt Elementary School on Thursday, the Kenosha Police Department said.
District leaders say the man tried to enter the school around 9:00 am local time on Thursday morning, carrying "suspicious bags." When school staff tried to speak with him, the man ran out of the building and into the surrounding neighborhood, Scripps News Milwaukee reported.
The man was later located and arrested shortly after 2 p.m. local time.
“We believe that this was actually an armed suspect with a firearm, and there was no legitimate reason to enter the school," Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Only the "quick and diligent action" of school staff prevented the man from entering the school, Chief Patton added.
"Today we experienced something that all school staff and families fear - a potential school shooting," Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Weiss said at the news conference. "Today we are thankful."
Area schools were put on a secure hold while police searched for the man, which was later changed.
Police said there was no longer a threat to any area school and that deputies were "working out of an abundance of caution."
This story was originally published by Scripps News Milwaukee.
