School notifies parents after suspects enter campus

No need for ‘Luck o’ the Irish” on St. Patrick’s Day as no arrests made

By Lt. Joe Njoroge #7052, Antioch Police Field Services Division

At approximately 2:45 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2025, APD Dispatch received a report of a physical altercation in the area of Lone Tree Way and Deer Valley Road, with concerns that one of the individuals involved may have been armed with a firearm.

Upon arrival, officers were informed that the suspects had fled on foot toward the Country Hills Drive area. Using drones, officers were able to locate the individuals who later entered a vehicle. As a precautionary measure, nearby schools were notified of the potential threat and initiated lockdown procedures.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and made contact with several individuals. A thorough search of the vehicle, as well as the areas where the suspects had been seen fleeing, was conducted, but no firearms were discovered. Additional searches of surrounding areas were also carried out, but no firearms were found.

Subsequently, all schools were informed that there was no ongoing threat to public safety, and the lockdowns were lifted.

According to an Antioch resident, “APD told the school to go on code red” and the following notice was sent out to parents of the nearby Hilltop Christian School:

“Good evening, Hilltop parents,

This afternoon, at approximately 2:45 PM, we received an immediate directive from the Antioch Police Department to go into lockdown.

Authorities informed us that a group of six to eight individuals had been involved in an altercation off campus. Some of these individuals, possibly armed, evaded law enforcement and drove onto our church parking lot. Once they reached the church parking lot, they abandoned their vehicle and dispersed throughout our campus.

In response, we swiftly and securely implemented lockdown procedures. Law enforcement conducted multiple thorough searches of our campus, with special attention to our playgrounds, to ensure no weapons had been discarded. Once all suspects were located and taken into custody, officers confirmed that our campus was safe, and the lockdown was lifted.

We understand that receiving lockdown notifications can be concerning, and we deeply appreciate your patience and cooperation.”

However, Lt. Njoroge later said about the suspects, “They were detained. We didn’t arrest anybody.”

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

the attachments to this post:

APD stops suspects’ vehicle Deer Valley Rd 03-17-25

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