A search for a suspect wanted by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies triggered lockdowns at four Saddleback Unified School District schools Wednesday.
Initially, Mission Viejo High School, Esperanza High School, La Paz Intermediate and Linda Vista Elementary were locked down as Orange County sheriff’s deputies began searching for the suspect about 11:15 a.m., according to Lt. Lane Lagaret.
The lockdowns at Mission Viejo High and Linda Vista Elementary were lifted just before noon, Lagaret said. Lockdowns at the other two schools were lifted when deputies found no trace of the suspect in the area and the search was called off, Lagaret said.
Deputies were looking for Lee Zechariah Austin, 32, who was wanted for some type of violent crime, Lagaret said.
The schools are all clustered together, which is why they were all locked down as a precaution, Lagaret said, adding there was no “direct threat” to the campuses.
—City News Service