MUKILTEO — In this day and age of extra precaution, a couple of firecrackers can lock down a school.
Such was the case Monday when someone reported hearing a loud noise at Kamiak High School.
The Mukilteo campus was placed in lockdown shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday.
Because of initial fears, multiple agencies came to assist Mukilteo police. They included the Washington State Patrol, Edmonds, Everett, Mill Creek, Lynnwood police departments and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
State Patrol bomb dogs were brought in and at least one TV news helicopter hovered overhead.
Police found residue from firecrackers in a stairwell, officials said.
“The Mukilteo Police Department and assisting agencies took every precautionary measure they could to ensure the safety of the students and faculty, before lifting the lockdown,” Mukilteo police officer Colt Davis said.
The lockdown was lifted around 1:10 p.m.
Officers did a room-by-room search of the campus after the firecrackers were found.
Two schools nearby — Harbour Pointe Middle School and Columbia Elementary School — also were placed in lockdown as a precaution at the request of police, Mukilteo School District spokesman Andy Muntz said.
One Everett police officer, on his way to help at Kamiak, was involved in a two-car crash in the intersection of SE Everett Mall Way and Highway 526.
The officer was driving a police pickup truck. It was struck in the back, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said.
The officer was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation. The other driver was not injured.
“The dynamics of the crash are under investigation,” Snell said.
Meanwhile the disruption at the school lasted more than three hours.
“No suspects have been identified at this time, but the incident is still being investigated,” Davis said.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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