Students move to the football field in the midst of the lockdown during Mark Keppel's homecoming football game. Photo courtesy of My Ho.

Mark Keppel goes under lockdown during homecoming game

0 2
Read Time2 Minute, 23 Second

Mark Keppel High School’s homecoming football game against San Gabriel High School came to a sudden halt last night, as Monterey Park police placed a lockdown around the school at approximately 7:30 p.m.

At 7:21 p.m., the Monterey Park Police Department (MPPD) received information that there was a verbal disturbance on Mark Keppel’s campus and that two suspects, one male possibly armed and wearing a ski mask, and another male wearing a dark blue jacket, were seen leaving the school. As a precautionary measure, police officers began to blockade off the school at around 7:30 p.m., not letting anyone in or out. Police and helicopters also scoured the area, searching for the two suspects.

After implementing the lockdown, the MPPD contained the area and located both subjects. According to the MPPD, the suspect wearing the ski mask, identified as 25 year-old Alberto Adame of Rosemead, was arrested after committing residential burglary. Adame is being held on $90,000 bail and is due in court on Nov. 8. The second suspect is being held for further questioning regarding his involvement. No firearms were found on either suspect.

The unexpected delay caused mass confusion among the attendees and players of the game, many of whom who were students from the surrounding schools. The lack of information sources also added on to the crowd’s confusion.

“[I’m] confused because I’m not really sure what’s going on right now,” junior David Gomez said. “I’m hearing a whole bunch of different stories. Supposedly there’s a guy with a mask, supposedly there’s multiple people. I don’t know.”

During the lockdown, many students were moved from the bleachers to the field, and the situation as a whole made some feel unnerved.

“This is the first time I’ve felt this much fear in my entire life,” junior My Ho said. “I just felt so emotional; it scared me.”

However, other attendees remained calm, as there did not seem to be any signs of immediate danger.

“Honestly, it’s like I’m not very scared because we know the police is handling the situation,” junior Tyler Lao said. “At most, [it] probably caused a little panic and a little bit of shock because this is relatively a [safe] neighborhood.”

Police began to dismantle their blockade at around 8:40 p.m., finally leaving the area at approximately 8:55 p.m. The game was officially cancelled following the lockdown, and San Gabriel High School was credited with a 14-0 win. There were no reports of any injuries or casualties.

The lockdown was the second of the day, following an earlier incident where an alleged car thief ran into Keppel’s campus in an attempt to evade the police. More information on the first lockdown can be found here.

 

Average Rating

5 Star
0%
4 Star
0%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *