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SOUTH JORDAN — A teenage boy is in police custody after witnesses say he walked into a South Jordan elementary school and threatened to kill people. The teen carried two longs sticks that had been sharpened to use as knives.
KSL-TV talked with the parent who stopped the teen at Eastlake Elementary School. This parent asked that we don't use her name or show her face. She says she feared for her life when the teen walked into the school's main office shirtless, bloody and armed.
"I feel like I was fighting for my life and everybody was just standing around watching," said the woman who stopped the armed teen.
Just before 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the parent was at the school to pick up her daughter. That's when she said the teen passed through this main foyer and came into the office.
"He said, ‘I want to kills people' and then he lunged right at me with the spear at my chest and said ‘I want to kill people,'" said the woman.
She struggled with him and managed to get him back into the main foyer. Parent Tiffinie McAfee saw the whole thing.
"He proceeded to kick and punch the walls and kept saying he needed to murder someone and needed a gun," McAfee said.
He also threatened children outside on the playground.
"He said he wanted to get guns and kill people," said .
Just one week ago, the school was outfitted with special doors as an extra safety precaution and they stopped the man from entering the main part of the school. Instead, he used a side door to get into the office.
"(We) felt very confident that students inside were safe and accounted for. The school followed emergency procedures," said Teri Timpson from Jordan School District.
But both the parents KSL-TV spoke with disagree.
"If that were to happen again and if he was holding a gun, he would have made it through that door," McAfee said.
They say the school should have been placed on lockdown. Instead, the boy's father showed up and took him home, where South Jordan Police arrested him.
Police declined an on camera interview, but tell KSL-TV the young man has severe mental behavior issues. He's now being held in the juvenile detention center on suspicion of assault.
"Our number one priority is to make sure students are safe," Timpson said. "We will look at places we want to clarify and strengthen we have in place."
The entire Jordan School district is in the process of being fitted with doors that are only able to be opened with an access card.
In the meantime, representatives from the district say they are here to talk with any concerned parents.
