Report of a suspicious man at Batavia park prompted lockdowns at two schools

Two Batavia schools were placed on lockdown for a short time Tuesday as police investigated a report of a suspicious man at Big Woods Park.

When police arrived at the park around 8:56 a.m., they noticed a man, dressed in black clothing and wearing a backpack, standing on the baseball field.

The man fled from police, heading southbound through the park and appeared to be holding an unknown object in his hand as he ran, according to police.

Based on the information the police had, Rotolo Middle School and Immanuel Luthern School were placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

When police located the man, they determined he was not a threat to public safety, and the lockdowns were lifted. The man was not taken into custody, Batavia Police Deputy Chief Michael Johnson said.