A police investigation in South Surrey Wednesday afternoon caused a half-hour “hold and secure” of nearby Earl Marriott Secondary.
RCMP blocked off a section of Lee Street from North Bluff Road south, and appeared to be focusing attention on a white sedan.
According to Surrey RCMP, the incident began just before 12:30 p.m., during investigation of “an occupied stolen vehicle” at 24 Avenue and King George Boulevard.
“In an attempt to evade arrest, the driver of the vehicle struck two police cars, and ran over a tire-deflating device, deflating all four tires,” Cpl. Elenore Sturko told Peace Arch News.
Sturko said the vehicle was abandoned near Lee Street and North Bluff Road, and police arrested one man – “a short distance away” – with help from a police dog.
Several police cars could also be seen parked on 16 Avenue, east of the high school and immediately west of 160 Street, however, Sturko could not confirm if the two scenes were related. One officer at that scene appeared to be holding an evidence bag.
Sturko said no injuries were reported in the stolen-vehicle incident, and charges have not yet been laid.
The measure at Earl Marriott Secondary north of 16 Avenue was “just a precaution,” Surrey school district spokesperson Doug Strachan told PAN, and the incident is “something unrelated to the school.”
“It was something in the neighbourhood and the police asked us to,” he said.
Wednesday’s safety procedure began shortly after 12:30 p.m. and lasted about 45 minutes, according to a letter to parents and students that was posted to the school’s website at 3 p.m.
“I’m proud to say all our students and staff responded appropriately and implemented the Hold and Secure very well,” principal Claudine Davies writes.
According to the school district, its “hold-and-secure” procedure differs from a “lockdown” in that the former is a response to an outside threat, while the latter is a response to a threat inside the building.
