A man was arrested Thursday morning after trespassing at Webster Elementary School in West Long Beach and trying to break classroom windows using rocks, according to police and school officials.
Police were notified of the man trespassing on campus just before 10 a.m.
Officers quickly responded to the school and took the suspect into custody, police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Police identified him as Lovaill Dotson, a 46-year-old homeless man. Dotson, who already had a warrant out for his arrest, according to police, was taken into custody on suspicion of vandalism and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
The Long Beach Unified School District, meanwhile, alerted parents about the incident, saying that “a male individual who appeared to be unhoused entered our campus without permission by jumping over the fence.”
“Within seconds, our staff responded and our school underwent a brief lockdown (under 15 minutes) in accordance with Long Beach Unified protocols,” officials said.
At some point, the suspect used a couple of rocks to try and break classroom windows, school officials said. No injuries were reported.
“We understand that the experience of a lockdown can be frightening for students; therefore, additional mental health resources and crisis counselors are on site,” school officials said.
The LBPD said it “will have high visibility patrol around Webster Elementary including the Neighborhood Safety Bike Team to engage with our community.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with more information from police.