What happened at LA’s Crescenta Valley High School? Man faces trespassing charges after prompting campus lockdown

On Wednesday, February 1, Crescenta Valley High School suspended all classes and lectures when a suspicious-looking man entered the campus without signing in as a guest at the front office.

The man was wearing dark clothing and a baseball cap while carrying a black duffel bag. The sneaky appearance caused alarm and called for a lockdown as authorities rushed to the school.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies searched the Crescenta Valley campus for the man but could not locate him. Hence, a student and staff evacuation was ordered to conduct a more thorough search.

The man was found and arrested by the county's police department.

---

Students of Crescenta Valley were evacuated to the church across the street

Everyone at Crescenta Valley High School was under lockdown after an unidentified man appeared inside the school gates. Soon after, all of the staff and students (nearly 2,600) were taken to a church across the street from the school. The church is located at 2900 Community Ave.

Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Sergeant John Gilbert said:

"This is precautionary in nature. We just didn't know what this person was doing. Perhaps it was something innocent, or in another case, he had something more nefarious in mind."

The police department was unsure if the person had left behind anything suspicious or disastrous. Hence, three K-9s were brought along to Crescenta Valley High School to locate the intruder and any possible things he left behind.

Parents and guardians were asked to pick up their children and family members from the church after the evacuation. A student's father commented:

"Nowadays, you never know what going to happen. You can't trust anyone and anyone can walk into a school nowadays and cause a lot of harm, and that's a parent's worst nightmare."

Police arrested the suspect at a Starbucks coffee shop nearly a mile from the Crescenta Valley campus around 3.20 pm.

A school staff member positively identified the suspect. Authorities said:

“A staff member, who had seen the suspect, came to the location and positively identified the person as the suspect. A search of the suspect and his property did not reveal any weapons or devices.”

He was booked for trespassing. His bag and person were searched for any ambiguous signs. It was later discovered that his name is Brandon Santora, and he is 41 years old.

Deputies are trying to figure out why Santora broke into the campus when no weapons, drugs, or illegal devices were found on him.

In a statement, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said:

"Upon completing the booking process and confirming his identification, the individual was released from custody with a promise to appear pursuant to the law for his misdemeanor charge. Based on statements made by the individual during the arrest, there is no evidence at this time to suggest there was any nefarious plans by him while visiting the campus."

Students and staff are safe and sound, back in their homes without any mishap or discomfort. Meanwhile, Santora is expected to appear in court on Friday, February 3.

---

A similar incident occurred at Wakefield High

The Arlington-based school is once again the attention of the media. The high school was put under lockdown after a man entered the school, with officials claiming that he was "possibly armed with a gun."

The lockdown was lifted when the person was not found on campus. The incident follows a drug overdose involving a Wakefield High student on Tuesday. Police investigated the incident, and the students were dismissed early. The school said it would be off-duty on Friday but would be open during work hours to provide mental health services.