Ahwtaukee school locked down

The Kyrene School District locked down Altadena Middle School today from about 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. after a school resource officer reported police action in an adjoining neighborhood, according to district spokeswoman Nancy Dudenhoefer.

According to Phoenix police, police got a radio call about people with guns in the area near Marketplace and Chandler Boulevard. When Dante Lamont Lasker, 23, was approached by an officer in the area, according to police, he pulled a handgun from the front of his waistband and ran to his home in the 1400 block of South Fork Drive. He was inside the home for about 45 minutes until family members were able to encourage him to come out, police said.

Lasker was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon and disobeying the orders of a police officer, as well as having four warrants for possession of drugs.

The Kyrene district used its new dial out system for the first time to alert parents, first sending out a message to parents' phone numbers that the school had been locked down and that no children would be released to walk, go on the bus or go with their parents. A second message was then later sent out announcing the end of the lockdown.

"The beauty of this dial-out system is that we can alter our message in a fairly short amount of time," Dudenhoefer said. "The old way of waiting to send a letter home in the backpack, that means people wouldn't know until tomorrow at 4:30 p.m."

She said the district would also send out an e-mail to parents today.

"We're trying to get information to parents more quickly as best we can," she said.

Cerritos Elementary had already been released for the day.