Bandit the K-9 dog finds man who ran from police causing Lancaster school lockdown
A K-9 dog named Bandit helped police find a person who had run from custody in an incident that caused a lockdown of an elementary school in Lancaster County, police said.
The lockdown at Van Wyck Elementary School, near the York County line, went on from about 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. when the man was taken back into custody, said Doug Barfield, spokesperson for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
“The safety of the students and staff was behind the decision to lock down the school,” Barfield said. “The man was not armed but we wanted everyone to feel safe.”
The incident started when deputies from another county were taking an 18-year-old man to Rebound Behavioral Health on Rebound Road off U. S. Highway 521 north of Lancaster, said Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile.
The man ran from officers after the arrival at the Rebound center and crossed over to the west side of Highway 521. School officials were notified and the lockdown was instituted, Faile said. The man was not armed, was not under arrest and did not pose an immediate threat, Faile said.
Many deputies including a K-9 handler and his dog named Bandit searched before bandit found the man in woods off Three Crow Road, Faile said.
“We’re glad this young man was located pretty quickly and that he’s safe and healthy,” Faile said. “Because of all the recent rainfall and cool temperatures, today was not a good day to be wandering in the woods. Our officers did an outstanding job responding to the area to contain it, and our K-9 unit led us directly to him.”
