A sighting of someone who appeared to be carrying a gun near Helix High School prompted a brief lockdown of the campus until police determined that the seeming firearm was a recreational plastic-pellet gun.
A 911 caller reported shortly after 11 a.m. that the possibly armed person was in a group of suspicious-looking people gathered close to a set of baseball fields at the school in the 7300 block of University Avenue, according to the La Mesa Police Department.
School administrators directed students and staffers to secure themselves in their classrooms and offices while patrol personnel investigated, LMPD Lt. Katy Lynch said.
Police soon found a group of potential suspects near a car parked in the 4200 block of Lowell Avenue.
“An airsoft gun was located inside that vehicle, and officers determined none of the involved individuals had brought the airsoft gun onto the school campus,” the lieutenant said.
Police then gave an all-clear for the school to resume normal operations.
City News Service contributed to this article.
