A school in the northern Alberta town of Lac La Biche was evacuated Thursday afternoon as officers tried to track down two men who fled police earlier that day, according to RCMP.
Police said officers tried to stop two male suspects when they drove away in a vehicle. The vehicle was stopped by police and one of the suspects was arrested with the help of a police dog. The other ran away and into Portage College, RCMP said in a media release just after 1 p.m.
Officers started evacuating the building in order to do a sweep search for the person at large.
There was no perceived threat to public safety, RCMP said, but police were asking people to stay away from the area. Officers didn’t believe the suspect was armed.
A staff member inside Portage College told Global News just before noon that the school had been on lockdown for about an hour. At around 1 p.m., the staff member said police had surrounded the building and were escorting people out.
It was believed the suspect was still in the building at around 1 p.m. A student who was inside said she was being told to stay in the library.
At 2:30 p.m., RCMP said the second male suspect had been taken into custody “without incident.”
Police said “the situation” at the college was over.
RCMP said no other residences or schools were placed on lockdown.
— With files from Caley Ramsay and Emily Mertz
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