Lockdown lifted at Batavia High School after searches, no armed man on campus



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Batavia High School was locked more than two hours earlier Monday, preventing students from entering the building, while police were investigating the report of a person carrying a rifle at school.

The deputy police chief of Batavia, Sean Mazza, said in a video on the police department's Facebook page on the spot that the object seen could be a baseball bat or an umbrella.

Just after 6 am, someone entered the Batavia Police Department to report seeing a man dressed in black, carrying a backpack and entering the high school with a rifle.

After watching a surveillance video, the police determined that "it would seem that the person who was probably selected as being … a student, carrying a rifle, was probably wearing a baseball bat," said a Mazza. "So, at this point, there does not seem to be any merit to that."

Sgt. Pat Gengler of Kane County said at approximately 8:30 am that the search of the building and campus was complete and no one was found.

All law enforcement agencies left the school, with the exception of the Batavia police, which was to conduct a second preventive search of the building, he said. .

According to a Batavia officer at the scene, the police were informed of the situation by a person who saw the man at the school and who went to the police department to alert the police. officials.

The school was closed and students were asked to wait until they could go to class.

"Because of the police activity at Batavia High School, wait, please, to come to the Batavia High School this morning," reads a school statement. "No one is allowed to enter the building at the moment." All buses currently do not serve Batavia High School.If your child has been picked up by a bus, he will be brought back at home.

"More information will be communicated as soon as it is available to the Batavia Police Department, all other schools will be in session with the bus service."

There was no immediate update from the school officials.

Jon Habegger, who lives on Pitz Lane in front of high school, learned that he was aware of the situation around 6:30 am when he saw police notification online informing residents of the search. performed. He watched the scene of his backyard.

He was "shocked" that something like that could happen literally in his backyard, he said.

Batavia's mother, Lisa Thomas, learned of the situation from a message sent by her neighbor. His home is located on Pitz Lane, about 300 meters south-east of Batavia High School. She was concerned for the safety of her children aged 5 and 7 years.

"I'm on my guard and I want to know what's going on," said the mother.

"My husband had already gone to work and had called to debate the question of whether he should go home and he wanted us to go down to the basement for security reasons."

The mother received an e-mail alert from the preschool teacher of her five-year-old son. His son frequents footprints in high school.

"It was an alert informing me that there would be no preschool because of high school activity.

Her daughter attends Alice Gustafson Elementary School about a kilometer away and plans to take her to school.

The school was also postponed to nearby Holy Cross High School, said Jane Kramer, whose grandson, 13-year-old Will Siddens, attends school.

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