Several Vancouver schools were placed on lockdown Monday morning while police searched for a suspect in two armed robberies and the abduction of a security guard from Vancouver Lake Regional Park.
The series of incidents began shortly after 2:15 a.m. when Vancouver police were called to a robbery and vehicle theft in the 3500 block of East 21st Street, in Vancouver’s Maplewood neighborhood
The victim reported that he arrived home, and within a minute, heard a knock at his door. His girlfriend answered the door, and an unknown man pushed his way inside and pointed a firearm at the couple, demanding money and their car keys, according to a Vancouver Police Department bulletin.
The victims handed over the keys to their white 1997 Volkswagen Passat, and the assailant fled in the vehicle.
Neither victim was injured.
Police say the suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male with a medium build and brown hair, and appeared to be 20 to 25 years old.
About three hours later, Vancouver police responded to the 8000 block of Northwest Bacon Road in the West Hazel Dell neighborhood for a report of a disturbance with a weapon.
The victim, a security guard, said he was unlocking a gate near the entrance of Vancouver Lake Regional Park when a vehicle pulled up behind him. The driver left the car and forced the security guard into the passenger’s side of his security vehicle at gunpoint. The suspect then drove the man to a residence in the county, the police bulletin states.
The assailant forced the security guard into the trunk of the vehicle. The victim was able to call 911 and jumped out of the trunk in the area where police had been called, according to the bulletin. He was uninjured.
Police canvassed the area, prompting several schools, including Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin elementary schools, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, and Discovery Middle School, into lockdown.
While police searched for the suspect, a resident in the area reported that a vehicle crashed in front of their home on Northeast Creston Avenue and East 43rd Street in Vancouver’s Lincoln neighborhood. The driver fled northeast on foot. Police said the vehicle that crashed was the stolen security vehicle.
A police canine was deployed to help search for the suspect, but he was not located. Officers found the stolen Volkswagen at Vancouver Lake Regional Park.
Detectives with the Vancouver Police Major Crime Unit are investigating.
Anyone with information on the suspect or these incidents should contact the Vancouver Police Department.
