Folsom High lockdown lifted, but suspect who ‘ran into campus’ still at-large, police say

Folsom High School students sheltered in place after a suspect crashed his vehicle and ran towards the campus Tuesday morning, according to the Folsom Police Department and school district.

A message from Folsom Cordova Unified School District’s Catapult emergency messaging system sent out at 9:05 a.m. read, “We are sheltering in place as a suspect crashed a vehicle and ran into campus.”

The Folsom Police Department in updates to Facebook around 9:45 a.m. said the school had resumed normal operations, but that the suspect “was not caught but was identified.” The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic man in his 30s with tattoos, seen wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans, the social media post said.

Folsom Police Department spokeswoman Det. Melanie Catanio said the incident was being handled by the California Highway Patrol and was “related to some kind of incident on the highway” in which somebody “foot-bailed” and ran in the direction of campus.

According to the CHP activity log, a solo-vehicle collision was reported on a Highway 50 ramp at the Prairie City Road, near the high school, at about 8:40 a.m. The call to dispatch indicated that the driver of the vehicle ran away, “stating he has warrants,” according to the activity log.

CHP East Sacramento spokesman Officer Clyde Holland said the incident was still being investigated as of 9:40 a.m. but that he had no further information available. Catanio said officers remained stationed in the areas around the high school as of that time.

Police responded to the scene with half a dozen patrol cars and a helicopter.

The high school, located across the street from the Intel campus on Prairie City Road, serves more than 2,400 students.