Encinitas Middle School Locked Down After Traffic Accident Suspect Flees

Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Encinitas’s Oak Crest Middle School rushed to the nearest classroom after being told there was a suspect that had gotten away from police on Friday, October 22.

During lunch, at around 12:50 p.m., the principal and vice principal advised all students to get their backpacks and move into nearby buildings. I and 20 other students went into the admin building, where we all sat on the floor with the lights off and the shutters closed for about 45 minutes.

According to a sheriff's spokesperson, there was a non-injury collision involving two cars three blocks west of the school, at the intersection of Encinitas Boulevard and Quail Gardens Drive. The driver of one of the cars fled the scene.

The spokesperson said, “A civilian reported he thought that the suspect had a handgun.” The suspect’s car turned out to be stolen — carjacked in Vista earlier in the day.

The sheriff’s helicopter was dispatched to make announcements about the suspect. He was captured in a short while on Quail Gardens Drive; several callers had spotted him. He was arrested for carjacking, but no gun was found.