3 people arrested for fighting with officers during a school lockdown in El Mirage
EL MIRAGE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Police say three people are in custody after a confrontation with officers as an El Mirage elementary school was on lockdown for reports of an armed man trying to get inside the building. Investigators say they were identified as 22-year-old Vincent Raul Castaneda, 22-year-old Jonathan Vincent Davis and 48-year-old Darlene Gonzales.
On Friday, around 10:30 a.m., a man tried to get into Thompson Ranch Elementary School and reportedly had a gun. The school was immediately placed on lockdown, but the man ran away as police arrived. As officers cleared the school and checked out a suspicious package in the building, parents began showing up outside the building while it was still on lockdown. This was when a fight broke out between some parents and officers.
“I put my hand like every shocked like ‘what’s going on, officer let me explain. What’s going on he didn’t do nothing,’” Gonzales said. “Someone grabbed me from the back really, really tight and I didn’t know who it was so when I went to go turn around he flung me over. I went off the ground and fell and bumped the back of my head really hard,” she continued.
According to police, several people tried to force their way into the school. Investigators say Castaneda was armed and began to fight with police, while Davis and Gonzales joined in. Cell phone video shows a gun drop from Castaneda’s waistband.
“It was just really ugly,” she said. “My main concern when they had me there was are all the kids safe. That’s all I’m worried about,” Gonzales explained.
Officers used a stun gun on Castaneda and Davis and took them into custody. Gonzales was injured during the incident, and she was taken to the hospital.
Castaneda was booked on one charge of possessing a deadly weapon on school grounds, one count of obstructing governmental operations and one count of disorderly conduct. Davis was booked on one count of disorderly conduct. Gonzales remains in the hospital, and her charges are pending, per police.
Gonzales said she’s not angry with police but believes they got it wrong. “I’m guessing the chaos they didn’t even know who they were grabbing or what they were doing,” she said.
Officers later deemed the campus clear and said the suspicious package was safe. No staff or students were hurt. The original suspect was later found by police and taken into custody. His name has not been released.
Editor’s Note: It was originally reported that the three adults arrested were parents. This article has been updated with new information to reflect police are now saying none of the people involved were parents.
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