A burglary suspect is at large after a police SWAT team searched Millikan High School today.
Long Beach Unified school safety personnel originally responded overnight to “multiple intrusion alarms” and found an adult emerging from one of the campus bungalows, LBUSD spokesperson Elvia Cano said in a statement.
“During the encounter, an LBUSD School Safety officer discharged their duty weapon,” she said.
The suspected burglar fled on foot and it remains unclear if he or she was wounded during the incident.
Long Beach Police Department personnel were also sent to the scene to help school safety officers. A SWAT team was activated to search the campus.
A witness told City News Service that parts of the school were taped off for investigation, and that staff and students were being blocked from parking at the school.
At 5:30 a.m., the Long Beach Police Department posted to X about a “large police presence focused on Millikan High School.”
By 7 a.m., the campus was deemed safe and secure for students and staff to arrive, Cano said.
An LBPD spokesperson told City News Service the SWAT team had concluded their search but that the suspect remained outstanding. As a precaution, an increased police presence around the school was planned to continue today.
No suspect description or details regarding the burglary were available.
The school safety officer who fired at the suspect was placed on paid administrative leave while the district and police investigate the circumstances leading up to the shooting, according to Cano.
City News Service and Staff Writer Jacob Sisneros contributed to this report.