Teenager facing charges after Lady Evelyn School was placed in secure safety mode

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A 15-year-old has been charged with possession of a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, uttering threats and breach of probation after Lady Evelyn School in Ottawa was placed in secure school safety mode Friday.

At about 1 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a call about a disturbance in the Echo Drive and Main Street area, the Ottawa Police Service said Monday. Police, who had been told that an individual involved in the incident had a knife, chased a suspect on foot through a schoolyard and quickly made an arrest.

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In a note to families of students at the school soon after the incident, principal Kim Rae-Anne Esdaile said Ottawa police had asked school officials to go into secure school mode around 1:30 p.m. “as a precaution.” Access to the school was restricted, hallways were cleared and students were kept in their classrooms for a short period of time. The restrictions were loosened shortly after and lifted 15 minutes later, she said.

“I should note that during the police operations a suspect fled through the back of the schoolyard and was chased by police,” she said. Esdaile said no students were outside at the time, “but this brief incident may have been witnessed by some students.”

Esdaile said school officials spoke to some students after the incident was resolved “to reassure them that they were safe.” Two officers also offered to speak with students if they wanted to do so, she said.

In a second note to parents, Esdaile said she checked in with all students before dismissal Friday afternoon. She encouraged families to call the school on Monday “if you feel that your child would benefit from any additional support around this incident.”

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The Ottawa Police Service did not immediately release a statement about Friday’s incident.

Louise Elliott, who lives near the school and whose son is a student at the alternative elementary school, said she was concerned about the initial lack of communication by police.

“Why was the police presence so heavy and why did they not issue a statement? They should when it disrupts the community and a school,” Elliott said.

“There needs to be communication when they are in our neighbourhoods, our kids are locked in school, and they are chasing people.”

Elliott said she was alarmed to see a police officer wearing a bullet-proof vest standing on Evelyn Avenue near the school when parents had no information about what was going on. She said other parents were also asking questions about the incident.

Police blocked off a section of Evelyn Avenue between Main Street and Rosemere Avenue in Old Ottawa East during the police operation.

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