CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — A morning traffic stop escalated into a manhunt on Thursday, forcing a Southeast Georgia elementary school into a temporary lockdown and delaying the start of the school day students during their first full week of classes.
The incident began early this morning when a Camden County Sheriff’s Office deputy initiated a routine traffic stop. According to Kristen Kennedy, the Public Information Officer for Camden County, the situation quickly turned dangerous.
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“That traffic stop turned into the driver resisting, and it became aggravated assault,” Kennedy said. “There were three passengers in that vehicle and they fled.”
CCSO a deputy sustained minor injuries, but that deputy was still able to detain the driver.
The sudden flight of the three suspects triggered an immediate, large-scale response. CCSO deputies joined forces with the St. Marys Police Department to establish a secure perimeter. Law enforcement deployed bloodhounds and drones to scour the surrounding neighborhoods for the three people.
As a precautionary measure, school officials placed Mary Lee Clark Elementary School on immediate lockdown, halting normal morning arrivals.
Parents in the area got alerts just as they were preparing for the school day.
RELATED: Camden County elementary school locked down after car flees traffic stop
“Ten minutes before getting ready to take him to school, we got all these notifications about some madness and cop cars in the neighborhood,” local parent Dani Eveline said.
Another parent, Priscilla Alvarez, said, “We got the notification of they’re suspects, they’re looking for people.”
She added that she tried to shield her young son from the severity of the situation.
“I just let him know that school is starting late and we’re just waiting that they’re on lockdown. I didn’t give him too much details. He’s only first grade,” Alvarez said.
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Following an extensive search of the area, authorities lifted the lockdown around 10:30 a.m. School buses and parents began arriving shortly after to drop off students, determined to get the school day back on track.
Despite the chaotic morning, parents expressed relief as some of them walked their kids to school.
“He’s done staying at home all the time, all summer. He’s ready to get back to his friends,” Eveline said.
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Alvarez echoed the sentiment, eager to put the morning’s disruption behind them.
“The school just started. Let’s go to school, let’s play, let’s learn, let’s have art,” she said.
Law enforcement has not released details on those who ran away or why the traffic stop was initiated. They say anyone who sees anything suspicious to call authorities.
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