Video shows students panicking, running from Parrish high school after 2 lockdowns
A 16-year-old student described panic and chaos at Parrish Community High School on Thursday after two lockdowns were reported over two days.
The student, who wanted to remain anonymous, captured a cellphone video of dozens students running away from the school and jumping fences trying to get to safety.
He said students were confused after a lockdown Thursday morning, and they panicked and fled the campus after seeing faculty rush to an incident in the parking lot.
School District of Manatee County spokesperson Michael Barber said in a news release Thursday that there had been two lockdowns Wednesday and Thursday for medical emergencies after people pressed the school’s crisis alert buttons.
There also were threats made against the school both days, he said. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and school security were on campus to investigate the threats, but they were found to be false alarms, Barber said.
Around 10:16 a.m. Thursday, students were told to shelter in place as a precaution, the student said, and there were deputies with assault rifles and K-9s walking around the school courtyard.
At 11 a.m., students were told that the campus was all clear and that they were safe to move to their next classes and some students with cars began to leave the campus.
That’s when students noticed faculty frantically using their handheld radios and rushing to an altercation in the parking lot, sending the students into a panic.
“I was with my friends and we were talking about it, then everyone just started running out the door,” he said. “It was just mayhem and chaos and no one knew what was going on.”
“They thought there could be a shooter or something so people just started running, and then we just all went to our cars and just started running away from the school because for all we knew we thought there was a shooter.”
A parent of a both student and a graduate of Parrish Community High who only wanted to go by his first name, Anthony, said he was frustrated with the lack of communication from the school as the lockdowns were happening.
“I mean there was kids like literally fleeing the school. There was parents there out in the, in the grass pulled in… they were yelling at the school, you know, telling them where’s their kid, where’s… you know… what is going on?”
Barber said Principal Craig Little sent a message to parents Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
“The situation at Parrish Community is under control and there is an increased presence of district and law enforcement security to keep the campus calm,” Barber said.
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