EAST VALINDA — Officials placed a high school and an elementary school on lockdown Thursday as they searched a neighborhood for a wanted suspect who ran from gang detectives, authorities said.
The incident began shortly before 1 p.m. in a neighborhood just northwest of Valley Boulevard and Nogales Street, when as gang investigators were seeking a man in connection with a homicide investigation from several months ago, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials and sheriff’s radio traffic.
The suspect fled from investigators, who responded by cordoning off the area and setting up a search perimeter, Lt. James Beamon said.
Nearby Nogales High School and Rorimer Elementary School were placed on lockdown as the search continued, Lt. Raymond Enriquez said.
Deputies, with help from a sheriff’s dog, found and arrested the suspect more than two hours later as he was hiding inside a car in a backyard in the area of Villa Park Street and Ballham Avenue, Enriquez said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment of dog bite injuries prior to booking, Enriquez added.
Officials at the sheriff’s Industry Station said they could not confirm initial reports from the scene that the suspect was being sought on suspicion of murder.