A man who allegedly trespassed onto Crescenta Valley High School Wednesday, prompting a large police response and the evacuation of the campus, has been identified.
Brandon Santora, 41, of Torrance, was arrested hours later in Glendale.
The incident began when an “unauthorized person” carrying a large duffle bag failed to check in before entering Crescenta Valley High School.
The school, located at 2900 Community Ave. in La Crescenta, was first on lockdown before Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies and Glendale Unified School District officials evacuated the campus.
Students were sent to a nearby church where they could be reunited with parents or guardians.
A nearby elementary school was also on lockdown, but TK and kindergarten students at the school were released on time.
The campus was eventually cleared, and no suspects, weapons or devices were found, authorities said.
At around 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, a person matching the description of the suspect was detained after being spotted at a business in the 3500 block of Foothill Boulevard in Glendale.
“A staff member, who had seen the suspect, came to the location and positively identified the person as the suspect,” authorities said in a news release. “A search of the suspect and his property did not reveal any weapons or devices.”
Santora was arrested for trespassing and booked at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station. He was cited for a misdemeanor and later released, court records show. He is expected to appear in court on Friday.
It remains unclear how he entered the campus and why he was there, but there was no evidence to suggest he intended to hurt anyone, authorities said.
No injuries were reported.
