A female employee who barricaded herself at a Baldwin Park middle school is in custody Friday after a nearly 12-hour standoff that prompted the campus’ evacuation.
The woman was taken into custody around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Baldwin Park City Manager Enrique C. Zaldivar told City News Service.
Officers were dispatched about 9:45 a.m. Thursday to Olive Middle School, 13701 Olive St., regarding a disturbance involving a school employee, according to a Baldwin Park Police Department dispatcher. The nature of the disturbance was unclear.
At one point during the conversation with officers, the employee closed an office door in the main building at the school and barricaded herself inside the room, according to the dispatcher.
Video from ABC 7 showed the woman being taken into custody
There was no indication the woman was armed, however, a special weapons team was deployed to the campus. They used tear gas to coax the employee out of the building and surrender to authorities, ABC 7 reported. Fox 11 reported the woman was later taken to a hospital.
Several news outlets reported the woman was a teacher at the school.
Students were dismissed early for the day as the standoff continued mid-afternoon Thursday.
“We continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to secure the campus as the investigation continues. Out of an abundance of caution, classes at Olive Middle School will be canceled for tomorrow, Friday, May 2, 2025. All other BPUSD schools will remain open and operate on their normal schedules. The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority,” wrote the district wrote in a statement.
No injuries were reported.