School Enters Lockdown During Police Chase

entered a soft lockdown after Skokie police assisted Chicago officers during a police chase on Wednesday around 10:30 a.m.

Ironically, second through fifth grade students from Middleton Elementary School were already participating in an evacuation drill -- the exact opposite of a lockdown -- and several students had already exited the building and were walking north on East Prairie Road which was in close proximity to where the suspect was fleeing.

"Fortunately, we already had squad cars near the school and apprehended the suspect without incident," said Skokie police officer Joe Marzigliano. "We are currently considering charges on endangering children because the suspect was so close to the school."

Some students claimed there were 20 cop cars, but that was an exaggeration, said one parent in an email to Skokie Patch.

The suspect -- who was originally fleeing from Harwood-Heights police on a arrest warrant -- ditched his car just outside McCracken Elementary School and began fleeing on foot. The Skokie Police Department soon notified school officials to enter a lockdown as a precautionary measure.

When the school enters a soft lockdown, the school has students return "from any outdoor or hallway locations to their classrooms, locking classroom doors and windows and ignoring regular school bells," according to a letter sent to parents yesterday by the elementary school.

Local law enforcement haven't released the name of the suspect or further information. Once it becomes available Skokie Patch will update.