Chaos unfolded Tuesday morning near a San Pablo elementary school when a shooting prompted a lockdown and later led to the arrest of a juvenile suspect. According to a social media post from the San Pablo Police Department, officers were alerted to gunshots at 20th Street and Sanford Avenue, just a block away from Downer Elementary School, at 9:42 AM yesterday. A witness reported seeing a male juvenile aiming a handgun at a vehicle before both parties scattered from the scene.
The immediate response included a full sweep of the area, which did not yield a victim or a suspect, but officers found spent shell casings on the road. A lockdown was implemented at the nearby Downer Elementary School as a safety measure, disrupting the regular schedule of students and faculty. The school remained on lockdown until the late afternoon, even as detectives advanced on their leads.
In a rapid succession of events, San Pablo Police detectives managed to identify a suspect and served a search warrant on Wilcox Avenue. An adult, related to the juvenile and aged 22, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to the crime, according to the San Pablo Police Department. Evidence tied to the shooting was also seized during the operation. Soon after, the detectives located the young suspect at Richmond High School, where he was apprehended without incident and booked on a firearms-related charge at Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall.
San Pablo Police has called for community assistance, urging anyone with information to contact their Investigations Division at 510-215-3150.
