Psychiatric patient at large prompts lunch hour lockdown at Kamloops school

KAMLOOPS – The students and staff at St. Ann’s Academy in Kamloops went into lockdown when a patient getting psychiatric care at the nearby hospital fled from the emergency room today.

RCMP say a man took off from Royal Inland Hospital around noon, May 12, and was last seen walking toward the independent Catholic school on Columbia Street.

The school was immediately placed on lockdown as a safety measure as officers searched for the man, according to an RCMP media release.

He was found a short distance away from the school after being at large for roughly 15 minutes and was returned to the hospital, police say.

RCMP say the man did not go inside the school and did not have any contact with the children.

Police aren’t saying why the man was considered a threat.

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