MONROEVILLE, Pa. — All Gateway School District buildings were placed on lockdown Monday morning as police worked to arrest a man who was threatening officers nearby.
Police said 61-year-old Daniel Francis Hendrie, of Philadelphia, was arrested at the Days Inn on Mosside Boulevard after calling Monroeville emergency dispatchers during the night and threatening police.
The Days Inn is less than a mile from Gateway Campus Boulevard, where three schools are located. As a precaution, officials from the Gateway School District said they locked down all schools. The schools went on lockdown about 8:20 a.m.
Investigators said they initially pinpointed the calls in the area of Northern Pike and Mosside Boulevard -– an area close to Gateway schools.
“At that point, because of the proximity to the high school, middle school and the elementary school, we decided to just lockdown all of the schools,” said Monroeville police Sgt. Rob McConnell.
Upon further investigation, police discovered that a man was making harassing phone calls to the front desk of the Days Inn as well. When police located Hendrie they said they looked at his cellphone and found he was the man they were looking for.
Police stressed that while none of the threats were directed at the school or students, they wanted to take every safety precaution possible to protect the Gateway students.
Hendrie is facing several charges, including harassment by communication, risking a catastrophe, abuse of the 911 system and terroristic threats.
WPXI
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