Gracie ZhengChaminade High School in West Hills was on a three-hour lockdown this morning after police received reports of a man possibly with a gun near campus.
The man in question turned out to be a student with a camera tripod. That's good news.
Yet while students and parents in the San Fernando Valley had relief from the weapon scare, people expressed disbelief: How could someone in the 21st century mistake a camera tripod for a gun?
A caller — some media outlets say it was a parent — reported spotting a male in a “trench coat” with a rifle in the 7500 block of Chaminade Avenue around 9:40 a.m., said LAPD spokesperson Diana Figueroa. The Topanga station responded and searched the area.
Does this really look like rifle?; Credit: panoysia
Any possible sighting of weapons or a suspicious package tends to act on people's nerves, especially after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the terrorist attack at the Boston marathon.
But who can blame the parent who called in to report the student with a … tripod? As the nationwide awareness campaign says, “If you see something, say something.”
The lockdown was lifted right after 12:15 p.m.
According to LAPD Topanga Station:
All safe Chaminade High School-a student's tripod was mistaken for a weapon. No crime occurred.
The graduation practice at Chaminade High School has been cancelled due to the lockdown, according to the school website.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.