ORLANDO, Fla. – Lake Highland Preparatory School welcomed students back for the first day of the fall semester Thursday and was temporarily placed on lockdown while authorities searched for a suspect near the campus, according to school staff.
Orlando police responded to a potential threat at a nearby chiropractor’s office prompting the lockdown, according to the police department.
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Police said a man went to the office at 206 East Colonial Drive at about 1:30 p.m. and made a verbal threat while brandishing a weapon. He left the office after a few minutes and walked toward the intersection of Westmoreland and Colonial drives, where he was taken into custody, according to authorities.
There was no threat on campus and the lockdown was lifted, according to police.
“The Lake Highland Preparatory School campus is secure. However, there was a potentially armed person in the vicinity of campus that OPD forces located and captured in the Parramore area. As a precaution, we locked down the campus and have since re-opened. All Highlanders are safe,” Lake Highland Prep President Alfred Harms Jr. said in a statement.
The school welcomed 1,956 students back on Thursday through digital and in-person learning, according to a Facebook post. The private Christian school educates pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students.
While public school students in Orange County started school Monday virtually, they won’t return for in-person learning until Aug. 21.
Check back for updates on this developing story.