Authorities are searching for a suspect who ran from sheriff’s deputies during a traffic stop in Artesia on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect, described as a 24-year-old Hispanic man wearing black clothing, was believed to be armed, Sgt. Edward McDonald of the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station said.
The incident started around 2:45 p.m. and deputies have not located the man but there have been reported sightings of him, McDonald said. Deputies have set up a containment area around Norwalk and Artesia Boulevards, he said.
Nearby Ross Middle School was placed on brief lockdown as a precaution, the school said. McDonald, however, said a lockdown has not been ordered, but authorities did ask the school to hold students as it was close to dismissal time.
Parents were asked to pick their children up on the 178th Street side of the school, school officials said. The containment was still ongoing, McDonald said. It was unclear what prompted the traffic stop, he said.
