Numerous schools in North Hollywood, Los Angeles are currently under lockdown, after a vehicle pursuit ended with an armed man running through a residential neighborhood.

Valley Torah High School – both the boys and girls divisions, as well as Oakwood School, Joyces Toluca Lake Preschool, Walter Reed Middle School, North Hollywood High School and Colfax Charter Elementary School have been placed on Lockdown. The Yeshivas are approximately two miles away from where the situation is unfolding.

The following are the details of what has unfolded in the past hour or so.

A man armed with what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle ran into a neighborhood and climbed onto the roof of a house at the end of a high-speed pursuit that extended from near downtown Los Angeles into the San Fernando Valley.

The man is wanted in connection with a criminal threats report. Details regarding the threats were not immediately available.

The man, dressed in all white, climbed down after about 15 minutes on the roof, but remained on the run and might have entered a home.

Police requested that residents near the 11600 block of Hartsook Street stay indoors during the manhunt. The search area is just blocks from the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Station.

The pursuit began on the 10 Freeway in the Monterey Park area and transitioned onto the 101 and 11 freeways near downtown Los Angeles. The driver of the Nissan sedan encountered heavy traffic on the northbound 5 Freeway and used the emergency lane next to the center divider to pass several vehicles.

At about 11:30 a.m., the driver exited onto streets in the Pacoima, went through at least one red light and made a U-turn across a double-yellow line in the middle of traffic.

The driver then entered the southbound 170 Freeway, heading back toward downtown Los Angeles, before exiting near Magnolia Boulevard and Irvine Avenue. The driver exited the vehicle with what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle, ran through several properties and climbed onto the roof.

UPDATE: The following was just emailed to all parents of Yeshiva Ketana:

Dear Parents,

You may be following the news right now and are aware of an armed person in the North Hollywood area. The location is approximately by Magnolia and the 170 freeway. We want to let you know that we are taking all necessary precautions and the students are inside the building.

We spoke to the Police Department and they feel it is not necessary to have an individual police officer at our school. They explained that the area of concern is under police lockdown.

Please feel free to call the Yeshiva or e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Yeshiva Ketana Administration
12131 Burbank Blvd.
Valley Village, CA 91607

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