Goose Creek Memorial High School went into lockdown Monday morning after a parent drove a U-Haul onto campus, abandoned it, and left two knives visible in the front of the vehicle. The parent never entered the building and had no weapons on him when authorities responded, and he was arrested on a charge of criminal trespass.
Lockdown Triggered by Abandoned Rental Truck
According to ABC13 Houston, district officials said the campus was placed on lockdown Monday morning after weapons were found inside a U-Haul vehicle left on school grounds in Harris County. The two knives were discovered in the front part of the truck and could be seen from outside, the station reported, citing district officials. The parent reportedly drove the U-Haul onto the campus and simply abandoned it there.
Officials said the man cooperated with police throughout the encounter. He was taken into custody and booked on a charge of criminal trespass, though his identity was not disclosed by officials, the outlet's report noted.
Campus Reopens Within the Hour
The lockdown had ended by 8 a.m. Monday, at which point the campus moved into a hold status while officials worked through the aftermath of the discovery, per the same account. That hold was lifted by 8:30 a.m., and officials said the instructional day would continue as usual for students and staff at the school.
Goose Creek CISD said all students and staff were safe throughout the incident, and the district thanked both the Goose Creek CISD police department and the Baytown Police Department for their assistance in responding.
Not the First Weapons Scare at the Campus
Monday's incident is not the first time Goose Creek Memorial High School has been placed on lockdown over a weapons concern. In 2022, the campus went into a temporary lockdown after a student was found in possession of a firearm; the principal said at the time that the student was apprehended upon arrival and that the gun was unloaded, according to Click2Houston.
Years earlier, in October 2018, the high school was locked down after a student made a threat on social media, though the district said at the time that no weapons were involved in that case, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. A separate incident near the district's Peter Hyland Center also drew police attention after a man was seen walking toward the campus while openly carrying a firearm and multiple ammunition magazines; he was arrested and booked on a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon on school grounds, per ABC13.
