HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A man is in custody after police found him with a weapon in the Glen Allen area on Friday afternoon, close to a Henrico school.
Henrico Police first received calls about an armed person on Mountain Road at 3:06 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6. When they arrived, they found a person in crisis armed with a weapon. Officers referred to this incident as a mental health situation.
Around 5 p.m., the Henrico County Police Division reported that Mountain Road, Woodman Road and Francis road would be closed for the next few hours due to a heavy police presence and officers working to resolve the situation.
The Academy at Virginia Randolph is nearby to the 2000 block of Mountain Road where police reported the incident.
Two messages were sent from The Academy at Virginia Randolph to families at the school The first message was sent at approximately 4 p.m., saying that the school was in “lock and teach” mode. At 4:25 p.m., the following second message was sent by the school’s principal, Eric Armbruster :
I’m reaching out to let you know that our school recently went into a “lock and teach” mode as there is a police incident in close proximity to our school. Because of this, we are delaying dismissal until the situation is completely resolved.
We have now moved into a “lock and hide” based on recommendations from police as an extra layer of caution until the police situation has been resolved.
Everyone is safe, and I want to reiterate this is not a school incident, but we are acting out of an abundance of caution until the situation is resolved. I will let you know as soon as possible when we will be able to dismiss. Until then, please do not come to the school. I thank you for your understanding and your ongoing support of our students, teachers, and school.
Around 5:15 p.m., police released an update, saying that a media staging area had been established at the corner of Jesse Chavis Drive and Mountain Road.
Around 5:45 p.m., police reported that a man had been taken into custody. Police said the man was being medically evaluated.
Henrico police and members from Henrico County Public Schools were reportedly working together to reunite students at St. Peter Baptist Church. As of 6:30 p.m., police say the school has now been released.
According to police, no shots were fired. Officers also said this was an isolated incident.
A spokesperson with Henrico County Public School said that there was never any verbal threat made to the school, students or staff.
This is a developing story, check back with 8News for updates.
