Lafayette Middle Locked Down Briefly as Police Chase Down Naked Man

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - A middle school in Lafayette Parish was put under lockdown briefly after a naked man was seen near the school's campus.

KLFY is reporting that on Friday afternoon, shortly before dismissal, Lafayette Middle School went into lockdown. According to the Lafayette Police Department, officers were chasing down a naked man in the area. However, the school was not in imminent danger and the man did not enter the school's campus.

Someone near the school did get video of the incident, and the Facebook post is here (WARNING: Nudity).

The lockdown was lifted after about 10 minutes.

School Lockdowns This Year

There have been several lockdowns affecting campuses this school year. For most, false threats were made or called in, which led to a heavy police presence on several campuses around the parish.

Lafayette High School saw several of those lockdowns, as did Paul Breaux Middle School. Thankfully, none of the threats became reality, and law enforcement have arrested most of the students involved in each incident.

Today's lockdown was not due to a threat, but Lafayette Middle - like most campuses - did not take the incident likely. Schools and law enforcement have been on high alert for threats, particularly off-campus threats, in the wake of school shootings, like those in Uvalde, Texas, and more recently in Nashville, Tennessee.

But a naked man running near a school campus, and police presence in the area, are still  valid reasons to shut down a school, especially if the school has few details, such as the man's motivations or mental state.

The school year will end later this month.