St. Joseph Church in Placentia locked down after man interrupts live-streamed Mass
PLACENTIA, Calif. - A church and several schools in Placentia were locked down Tuesday morning after an alleged gunman entered the church during its live-streamed morning Mass.
It happened just before 8:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church. According to the Placentia Police Department, there were reports of shots fired in the area, near the 700 block of N. Bradford Avenue, and reports that a man in the area was carrying a hand gun. When officers got there, they were told that the man had gone inside the church.
That's when officers entered the church, demanding those inside to raise their hands. It happened as the priest was giving the Eucharist prayer, officers could be heard in the background of the live stream asking everyone to raise their hands. The camera then transitioned from a closeup of the priest to a wide shot of the church, and parishioners could be seen with their hands up, clearly confused.
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Church locked down after gun scare
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Placentia was locked down after police officers stormed into a live streamed Mass. Police had gotten reports of gunshots in the area and other reports that a man with a gun had walked into the church. Police took the man into custody, but haven't found any gun.
Officers then evacuated the church and were able to find the suspect they were looking for without incident. After that, police did a protective sweep of the building before allowing the service to finish.
Placentia Police told FOX 11 that because of the church's proximity to several schools, those schools, including the church school, were locked down while police investigated. Those lockdowns have since been lifted.
The suspected gunman was taken to the police station, but police said they have not yet found any guns.