Mtn. View HS drill becomes real lockout due to armed person

An earthquake-fire drill at Mountain View High School turned into a real, though brief lockout Thursday afternoon due to reports of an armed subject in a neighborhood north of the campus, an official said.

Bend-La Pine Schools spokeswoman Julianne Repman said the students and staff were in the drill before 1:30 p.m. when they learned of a potential threat in the nearby neighborhood. She said there were reports of someone armed in the area of Northeast 27th Street and Butler Market Road.

The issue was resolved and the lockout ended in three to five minutes, she added.

Under a lockout, the exterior doors are locked and no one can come in or out, but classes continue as normal.

Police Lt. Clint Burleigh said officers became aware at 1:09 p.m. of an incident in which a gun was displayed during a dispute at a field beside Trinity Lutheran Church and School, located north of the intersection.

Mountain View issued a lockout for a few minutes while officers investigated, locking the doors and not allowing anyone to enter or leave the building, which Burleigh said is “standard protocol for an incident of this nature when it occurs next to a school.”

Burleigh said in this instance, neither Trinity Lutheran nor Mountain View were directly involved. Trinity also was instituting a lockout, he said, but the incident was over before that could be completed.

Police patrol officers and detectives are investigating the incident, Burleigh said, adding that “there is no information suggesting the firearm was discharged at this time.” He said more information will be released as available.

Back on May 1, a report of someone pulling a gun in the convenience store parking lot at 27th and Butler Market Road also led to a brief lockout at Mountain View.

Officers said a man was walking from the market to the gas pumps when someone in a passing car exchanged words with the pedestrian and followed the walker to their car.

The pedestrian told police they felt threatened and took a gun from the vehicle.

A worker at the store called it a “little scary” incident of road rage and said the incident and response went on for about 20 minutes.

Police said the gun owner did not point it at anyone and that it was an unusual case of road rage, in which no one had been charged or arrested.

We’ll have more details as we get them and a report on NewsChannel 21 Fox @ 4, and KTVZ at 5 and 6.