Man in custody after lockdown at Las Vegas elementary school

A man was taken into custody following a lockdown Monday morning at an elementary school near downtown, police said.

The man, who appeared to be suffering a mental episode, had led police on a brief chase about 8:15 a.m. near a building to the west of Sunrise Acres Elementary, 211 N. Eighth St., Clark County School District police Sgt. Bryan Zink said.

Sunrise Acres was placed on a hard lockdown while school police and Metropolitan Police Department officers worked, according to a message sent from the principal to parents.

The man fled from a bathroom at a maintenance lot used by the school district, ran around the back of a building just to the west of school property and climbed up a ladder against the wall, Zink said. He sat on top of a “swamp cooler” on the outside of the building until police gave him a blanket, Zink said, and he then climbed down and was taken into protective custody. He was placed on an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold, Zink said.

The man didn’t hurt anybody or cause damage to the school, the message home to parents said. Zink said the man didn’t access school property and wasn’t armed.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.