Bodycam footage shows armed deputies searching classroom during Jensen Beach High School lockdown
By: The Martin County Sheriff's Office released body camera video showing deputies with guns searching a classroom to find a student who breached security protocol and prompted a lockdown at Jensen Beach High School Friday.
The video shows some of the more than 50 responding units of law enforcement opening the door to a classroom and shouting for kids to announce themselves and put their hands up before entering the room.
Law enforcement can then be seen with their guns out and moving through the students as they search for the suspect, who they were trying to identify from a grainy still image grabbed from school surveillance video, according to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
A lieutenant recognized the student, and his backpack was taken and looked through before he was detained and questioned.
The lockdown started after a student resource officer heard administrators discussing a breach of security, Snyder said. Within two minutes, the first of the responding units arrived on the scene.
Units from road patrol, criminal investigations, the courthouse, community policing, traffic, community operations, aviation, marine, SWAT, rapid response and the Stuart Police Department responded to the high school and surrounding area, according to Snyder.
The student had gone against the rules of entering the building, didn't have a proper school ID, and when someone asked him to follow the rules, he bolted into a classroom, deputies said.
"Parents, please talk to your children and make sure that they understand the rules apply to them," Snyder said.
He said later that what felt like nothing to this student ended up setting off every alarm.
There have been 72 reported threats against Martin County schools, students or staff so far this year, compared to 19 last year, according to Snyder.
The deputies "moved toward what could have been the point of danger," and Snyder said he was proud of each one of them for following protocol.
The student was turned over to the school and is not facing criminal charges.