Tense Moments As Police Search For Marshall Fundamental Student Who Allegedly Threatened Fellow Student

A Marshall Fundamental student who allegedly posted an Instagram threat against another student involving a weapon was located unarmed and arrested by Pasadena police during an 80-minute campus lockdown and search Monday afternoon.

Police responded to the campus to investigate the threat, Lt. Sean Dawkins said, and while there officers learned from faculty “that the student that was identified as a suspect was potentially on campus and possibly had a weapon with him on campus.”

The campus locked down at that time, Dawkins said.

“During that lockdown faculty helped us identify where the student was and he was quickly detained,” Dawkins said. “He didn’t have a weapon on him.”

“We also conducted a search of the school to out abundance of caution as well to make sure there was no weapon that was discarded anywhere. No weapon was located. So the school was released from lockdown and resumed normal bell schedule,” Dawkins said.

The suspect, described only as a male minor, was arrested, Dawkins said.

Dawkins said four officers remained on campus as parents arrived to retrieve their children

“About 1:40 p.m. our campus went into lockdown,” Marshall Principal Lori Touloumian told parents in a 3:14 p.m. email alert. “The lockdown was due to Pasadena Police receiving a report alleging someone on campus with a weapon.”

In a second email, Touloumian said the posted threat was shared with students on campus via students’ social media, she said.

“I commend our students for notifying a trusted adult whenever they see or hear something that undermines the safety of everyone on our campus,” Touloumian said.

Touloumian praised the school’s staff: “Our staff did a fantastic job responding to this situation and followed established procedures and protocols in an effort to keep our students safe and calm.”

On Pasadena Now’s Facebook page, some parents complained that the school did not keep parents informed quickly enough and they learned early into the incident about the lockdown from their children, who texted them. Others said teachers followed protocols and the information timeline was satisfactory.

Touloumian said Marshall Fundamental is open Tuesday with additional security measures in place.