Squirrel hunters cause lockdown at Arkansas primary school

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A report of armed men near an Arkansas elementary school led to a campus lockdown before police confirmed the three were actually pest control employees chasing squirrels.

A teacher at Gardner STEM Magnet School in Hot Springs saw the men about 8 a.m. Wednesday and notified administrators. According to a statement from the Hot Springs Police Department, the teacher said it looked like three men carrying rifles were running toward the school.

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Officers determined the men, who were carrying pellet guns, were employees of a pest control company hired to eradicate squirrels at a neighbouring apartment complex. Police say the employees fired a shot at a squirrel, missed and chased the squirrel onto school property.

A school employee said the lockdown was lifted after about an hour.

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