CHESTER, S.C. (WJZY) — A 20-year-old man is in custody after South Carolina investigators say he broke a school window with his head, entered a classroom, and grabbed a child.
“In my 30 years of law enforcement, I could have never imagined something like this would be happening on Halloween in our wonderful town in a secure facility,” said Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey after the incident, which put the Chester Park School Complex on lockdown Friday afternoon.
Sheriff Dorsey says the suspect, identified as D’arrius Tyrese Edwards, crashed a car into trees near the school. He then made his way to the playground area.
“They made entry through a glass window using their head,” Dorsey explained, saying Edwards then took a child before exiting through the window. “[They] were engaged by law enforcement there in the playground.”
Officials said the school’s windows are standard, double-pane windows. Leaders assured the school was as secure as possible.
“Once they entered the classroom, there were three adult teachers in the classroom, and they engaged with the individual. One of the teachers actually fought with that person, but that person was able to leave the room, entered the playground area, which is still a confined space,” Dorsey said.
The suspect was tased and taken into custody, and the child was found to be in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Sheriff Dorsey declined to comment on whether mental health issues played a part in the incident, saying it was still too early to tell.
He confirmed there was a domestic element, and it expanded to the school, but Dorsey wasn’t ready to determine motive. The sheriff said that Edwards did not know the child or anyone in the classroom.
Edwards was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, burglary, and kidnapping.
School officials, meanwhile, were set to undergo a debrief as is common practice after a major school event.
“With our debrief and with everything, you always look at new modern techniques. But right now, I’m just so proud of my teachers, of my paraprofessionals, of my students, of the community that has come forward. And I honestly couldn’t have changed anything that they did. I’m just really, really proud of them today,” said Chester County school district interim superintendent Tammy Snipes.
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