Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Man Seen Near Villa Cresta With Weapon Identified

The latest on a situation regarding a possibly armed man seen near a Parkville Elementary School Monday afternoon.

UPDATE (3:40 p.m.) - Baltimore County Police have identified a man who was seen walking near a Parkville elementary school while possibly armed on Monday.

The man's identity has not been released, according to a news release from the police department.

Investigators have determined that the man was carrying an antique rifle as he walked across school grounds toward the intersection of Rader and Ardmore Avenues Monday aftenoon around the time that Villa Cresta Elementary School dismissed for the day, wrote police spokeswoman Elise Armacost in an email.

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The weapon, Armacost wrote, was not loaded and police are uncertain as to whether or not it was operable.

Officers responded to the school in the 2600 block of Rader Avenue around 3:30 p.m. after a witness told them that she saw a man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun near the school, according to a news release from the police deparment.

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"The investigation shows that the item the man carried was pointed at the ground and was not used in a threatening manner," Armacost wrote in an email early on Tuesday. "The man did not interact with anyone, nor did he attempt to enter the school. Witnesses said he got into the passenger side of a white commercial van and left the area."

The original text of this article follows below.

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Police say they're unsure whether a man seen walking near Villa Cresta Elementary School Monday afternoon was carrying an actual weapon.

Officers responded to the school in the 2600 block of Rader Avenue around 3:30 p.m. after a witness told them that she saw a man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun near the school, according to a news release from the police deparment.

Police are unsure whether or not the object the man was carrying was an actual weapon, according to an email from department spokeswoman Elise Armacost Tuesday afternoon.

The man, Armacost wrote, was seen walking at dismissal time along the outer edge of the school property.

"The investigation shows that the item the man carried was pointed at the ground and was not used in a threatening manner," Armacost wrote. "The man did not interact with anyone, nor did he attempt to enter the school. Witnesses said he got into the passenger side of a white commercial van and left the area." 

Anyone with information about anyone involved in the incident is asked to call the Parkville Precinct at 410-887-5310.


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