Bartlett school lockdown lifted as police make three arrests

Police have made three arrests following a break-in at a Bartlett home that prompted authorities to lock down at least one school.

The two men and teen remain in custody but have yet to be charged, Bartlett police Sgt. Michael McGuigan said.

Liberty Elementary in Bartlett was locked down twice as a precaution, Elgin Area School District U-46 Safety Coordinator John Heiderscheidt said. The initial lockdown began just before noon and went until about 1 p.m. Police called back a half-hour later and ordered the school back in lockdown until around 2 p.m.

Liberty students were allowed to leave campus at 2 p.m., the school's regular dismissal time, U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said.

Bartlett police were stationed at the school as a precautionary measure during dismissal time. Police said they ordered nine schools, including Bartlett High and Nature Ridge Elementary, locked down. But U-46 officials only confirmed Liberty was locked down.

Police said witnesses told them two males with guns entered a home on the 600 block of Philip Drive, though authorities haven't confirmed they were armed.

The two suspects drove away from the scene in a tan Saturn reported stolen out of Schaumburg, McGuigan said. They then crashed the car near Crystal Lake and Sayer Road, McGuigan said.

The two then tried to carjack another vehicle by reportedly pointing a gun at the driver, McGuigan said. But the car sped away and the pair ran from the scene.

A witness told police one of the men was then picked up by a white GMC at a McDonald's near Route 59, and the driver of that vehicle was arrested in Streamwood a short time later, McGuigan said.

Police also arrested a 16-year-old male in Hanover Park, while another man was arrested by West Chicago police found walking down Route 59, McGuigan said.

Liberty parents, as well as parents of neighboring Bartlett schools, were notified of the situation via the district's reverse calling system, Heiderscheidt added.