LITITZ — Police have provided more details on the incident that forced Warwick High School and Middle School to briefly go into administrative lockdown Monday morning.
According to the Lititz Police Department, officers were dispatched to a medical facility on West Second Avenue at 11:05 a.m. to assist with a 22-year-old man who was being transferred to an area hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. The man had fled from the facility to a nearby field.
Family members at the facility told police that the man had a history of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and had a knife in his possession, police say. They reportedly told police the man was having a schizophrenic issue and was not of sound mind.
As a result, police decided to place the Warwick High School and Middle School buildings on lockdown while they conducted their search for the man, due to the schools’ proximity to the medical office. This was done strictly as a precaution, police say. The safety of students and staff at the schools was never threatened, according to police.
“While we recognize there may be negative feedback to the decision to place the schools on lock down, we also recognize that our responsibility is to keep everyone safe,” police said in a statement.
While the lockdown was lifted shortly after noon, the man was not found, police say. But their investigation led them to believe that the man, who is from Lancaster, left the area.
There was an increased police presence at the schools’ dismissal as another precaution, police say.
