Police said they have arrested an Alameda High School intruder who allegedly touched one student's face and asked another for a kiss on Tuesday afternoon.
The 27-year-old man, whose name was not released, was taken into custody just before noon Wednesday after a detective spotted him in the 1100 block of Park Street, about five blocks from the school campus, Alameda police said in a statement posted on social media.
The man was arrested on suspicion of crimes that include molestation, possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violation.
According to police, who are still investigating the incident, a teacher first noticed the suspect about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in the classroom. He left when the teacher confronted him, and the teacher followed the man as he left the campus, eventually calling police about 3:21 p.m. to say he had lost sight of the man.
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A statement released Tuesday night by Alameda Unified School District superintendent Pasquale Scuderi, includes more detail, and said there was more than one intruder at the school that day.
The first incident occurred Tuesday morning, when a former student entered the campus and began to behave "erratically."
The Alameda CARE team was called and the young man was removed from campus by noon.
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The CARE team assists people who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. School staff requested that the team do a safety check on the young man, as he had "alluded to students being afraid he would 'shoot up the school' some years ago," Scuderi said.
The superintendent said that the second incident, involving the man arrested on Wednesday, occurred when the suspect entered a classroom and allegedly touched a girl's face. When a teacher asked the man what he was doing, he left the classroom, encountered two girls in the hallway and reportedly asked if he could kiss one of them. He then fled the building before staff could implement a shelter-in-place or lockdown, Scuderi said.
A teacher followed the man all the way to the Fruitvale BART Station, where the teacher asked the BART police for help, the superintendent said. Police were able to take a picture of the suspect but he was "lost at the station."
"There are many details being sorted through at this time by both police investigators and school administrators," said Scuderi on Tuesday night. "We know these incidents are disturbing and frightening."
No staffers or students were physically harmed during the incidents, he said.
The superintendent said staff at the school "continually" discuss such scenarios and make plans for them, including when to call the police immediately or go into lockdown.
Scuderi said there will be a debriefing and review of "our own response with the Alameda High School leadership team, including our safety protocols, campus supervision responsibilities and other safety-related measures, as well as potential long-term facilities modifications that may serve to improve security."
