SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Monday, October 13, at about 12:25 p.m., South Lake Tahoe Police Department Dispatch received a report of a man wearing a helmet, possibly armed with a shotgun, near the fence line of South Tahoe High School.

Patrol officers responded to the area to investigate. Due to the proximity to the high school and out of an abundance of caution, the police department requested the high school go on lockdown.

Officers located the man near the shared fence line of the high school and the nearby apartment complex. He was wearing a full facemask and black pants.. They detained him and discovered he was in possession of an air rifle.

The man was a resident of the apartment complex and had been shooting his air rifle at paper targets. Officers investigated the situation and determined there was no criminal intent in his actions. Officers educated the man about the optics of his actions, given their proximity to the high school. He was released on the scene. A suspicious activity report was taken on the incident.

“Police officers across the country frequently respond to situations with uncertain circumstances. While we aim to avoid causing unnecessary alarm, we err on the side of caution when it comes to suspicious activity around schools,” said SLTPD in a Facebook post.