{"id":153580,"date":"2026-01-28T17:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T17:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/153580\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T17:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T17:52:09","slug":"elementary-school-in-fullerton-was-not-warned-of-an-armed-ice-pursuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/153580\/","title":{"rendered":"Elementary school in Fullerton was not warned of an armed ICE pursuit."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With tensions so very high nationwide over the deaths of two citizens in Minnesota at the hands of immigration enforcement agents, it\u2019s understandable that parents and educators alike were upset to learn that officials at Woodcrest Elementary School in Fullerton were not notified that federal agents and local police were hunting for an allegedly armed suspect just around the corner last Thursday morning. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the scene unfolded, as reported in the Los Angeles Times by Katerina Portela, who is interning at the paper. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was early Thursday morning when the Fullerton Police Department received a startling call: A man, described as wearing a white shirt, was seen jumping over fences at the Highland Pinetree Apartment Homes with a handgun. Officers arrived at 6:46 a.m., where they discovered that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, were also in pursuit, a department official said.\u201d<\/p>\n

At around that same time, Woodcrest children who were enrolled in a 7 a.m. before-school program were arriving on campus, where no one had been warned of the threat. <\/p>\n

\u201cChad Hammitt, deputy superintendent of Fullerton School District\u2019s Human Resources Division, said that he found out about the presence of immigration agents near the school from social media,\u201d Portela reports. \u201cHe called Fullerton police at 7:14 a.m. to ask what was happening. Thirty minutes later, he received a call back.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, unless I\u2019m mistaken, that means it was about an hour before the school was notified by police as to what had been going down, during which time parents were continuing to drop off their kids at an arguably perilous site unwittingly. <\/p>\n

Hammitt was not clued in to the fact that the suspect being chased was believed to have a handgun.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me a suspect was on the loose and that police were holding a perimeter. I didn\u2019t know he was armed. Had we known, we would have put the school on lockdown,\u201d Hammitt is quoted as saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until 9:10 a.m. that teachers, parents and staff found out the suspect was armed, when Fullerton police posted an official statement<\/a> on their Instagram,\u201d according to The Times report.<\/p>\n

\u201cFullerton parent Laura Manchester got a call from a teacher who told her that teachers were running into offices panicked,\u201d Portela writes.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The teacher] told me that the school relieved the teachers [of teaching duties, bringing in substitute teachers] and brought counselors. The staff was crying,\u201d Manchester said. A situation like this is \u201ca very big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also upsetting to some was an apparent disagreement over which agency was responsible for cutting the lock off a gate at the apartment complex during the search for the man (who was never apprehended, by the way). According to the story, some witnesses believe it was Fullerton police that did that, giving rise to speculation that the local force was in cahoots with the feds, which is against state law.<\/p>\n

Resident Danielle Vasquez, who provided The Times with a video she took of the events, said she followed the officers from a distance so she could document what was going down. The full story gives more detail on what she and other residents saw, as well as the Fullerton police department\u2019s response to concerns You can read it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In other news related to immigration enforcement efforts, a grassroots event took place Sunday in Huntington Beach, where a mom spurred about 100 locals, mostly parents and their kids, according to the Daily Pilot story, to walk in protest of federal immigration officers\u2019 recent aggressive actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesire\u00e9 DeLattre, a Huntington Beach mother of two, including a 5-year-old, said Monday she was moved to organize the walk after learning of the Jan. 20 detention of 5-year-old<\/a> Liam Conejo Ramos who, along with his father, was transported from Minnesota to Texas after being picked up while coming home from preschool,\u201d writes my colleague Sara Cardine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe story about Liam was all over the news, and seeing his sweet face, I couldn\u2019t even sleep, I was so sick,\u201d said DeLattre.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies make up a majority of the population here for sure, but our voices sometimes don\u2019t get heard because we\u2019re busy,\u201d she told Cardine. \u201cI wanted people like me, who barely have time for activism, to integrate advocacy into their normal lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so proud of parents for keeping it productive and healthy and showing kids how to stand up for themselves \u2014 it was like a microdose of activism.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can find that article, along with a few photos of the event, here.<\/a><\/p>\n

MORE NEWS \"A <\/p>\n

A new restaurant called Huntington\u2019s On The Pier will offer both indoor and outdoor seating.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Huntington\u2019s On The Pier)<\/p>\n

\u2022 It\u2019s been a long time coming, but the Huntington Beach City Council has approved a $1.3-million completion bond<\/a> for Huntington\u2019s On The Pier<\/a>, a restaurant and bar that will feature both indoor and outdoor dining.<\/p>\n

\u2022 On a split vote last week, the Costa Mesa City Council approved the first reading of a new ordinance regulating self-checkout stands<\/a> that\u2019s intended to protect the local workforce. Assuming it passes on its second reading, it will apply to at least 22 retail grocery and pharmacy establishments over 15,000 square feet in size. Long Beach is the only other city that has such a law in place. Also in Costa Mesa, things have become messy<\/a> at its Tennis Center, which has been under contract with Calabasas-based Top Seed Academy and has been under audit. Now, the two pros teaching there have walked out, reportedly out of frustration with the city. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Yesterday afternoon the Anaheim City Council was scheduled to hold a closed session to discuss what to do about City Manager Jim Vanderpool<\/a> after a recent TimesOC report revealed he had accepted free accommodations to a days-long Anaheim Chamber of Commerce retreat without reporting it as a gift, as is required. Due to this newsletter\u2019s deadline, we can\u2019t yet report what came of it.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The city of San Clemente last week approved a contract with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection<\/a> to install a $1-million surveillance system on a hilltop to watch for panga boats that might have migrants aboard.<\/p>\n

\u2022 After hearing from constituents, the Fountain Valley City Council last week backed away from advancing a ballot measure<\/a> that, if approved by voters this year would Have made it a charter city. But the door was left open to consider it for the 2028 election cycle.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A Laguna Beach church has been aiming to build affordable senior housing on its acreage for years. The first iteration of its plans included 72 units, but after getting feedback from locals, it the project was whittled down, first to 44 homes and now a more modest 28-unit development that officials hope will gain city approval this year<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Also on the topic of housing developments, the YMCA of Orange County is looking to transform its property<\/a> on Newport-Mesa Family YMCA acreage near the Back Bay nature preserve into what it\u2019s calling the Newport Hub<\/a>. It would boast 105 residential units for people 55+, with 20 of those designated affordable.<\/p>\n

BUSINESS \"The <\/p>\n

Anduril\u2019s Roadrunner jet drone can return to its launch spot.<\/p>\n

(Anduril)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Costa Mesa-based Anduril Industries will invest $1 billion to create a new campus at Douglas Park near the Long Beach Airport, the L.A. Times reports<\/a>. The defense company is developing new technologies, including drones, missiles, robotic submarines and autonomous fighter jets<\/p>\n

\u2022 CalOptima Health announced in a news release last week that its chief executive officer, Michael Hunn, will retire at the end of this year.<\/p>\n

COURTS & CRIME \"Aryan <\/p>\n

Aryan Papoli, seen in an undated photo, moved to Newport Beach seeking a serene artist\u2019s lifestyle, according to son Navid Goodarzi.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Navid Goodarzi)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Gordon Abas Goodarzi, 66, of Rolling Hills, was arrested Friday on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife<\/a>, Newport Beach resident Aryan Papoli, the San Bernardino Sheriff\u2019s Department reported Saturday<\/a>. Papoli\u2019s body was found 75 feet down an embankment near Crestline in mid-November<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Oscar Eduardo Ortega Anguiano, 44, who killed two people in a Seal Beach DUI crash after having previously been deported was sentenced to 46 months in prison Friday<\/a> for being in the country illegally. His defense attorney explained the sentence means Ortega Anguiano will be deported again.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Police arrested a 21-year-old man following a pursuit that began in Anaheim and ended in Placentia last Wednesday night when the suspect\u2019s vehicle collided with another car, killing its driver<\/a>, a 60-year-old Placentia resident.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A screen shot from a video circulating on social media depicting a small child falling from the passenger side of a moving vehicle at the intersection of N. Euclid Street and W. Malvern Avenue in Fullerton. <\/p>\n

(Fullerton Police Department)<\/p>\n

\u2022 A La Habra mother was arrested Sunday after Fullerton police became aware of a video taken on the morning of Jan. 20 depicting a toddler falling out of an SUV onto the road<\/a>. Anyone who may have witnessed it is asked to contact Det. H. Rios at (714) 738-6782 or hrios@fullertonpd.org<\/a>. Anonymous tips can be left at (855) 847-6227.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A sentencing hearing was set for today for Orange County convicted bank robber Moundir Kamil, 56, who ran a nearly $1-million fraud scheme targeting surfers at Southern California beaches, City News Service reported.<\/p>\n

SPORTS \"Anaheim <\/p>\n

Anaheim Ducks\u2019 goalie Ville Husso (33) is scored on as Edmonton Oilers\u2019 Matt Savoie (22) and Ducks\u2019 Drew Helleson (14) watch the puck go in the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton on Monday.<\/p>\n

(JASON FRANSON\/AP)<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Edmonton Oilers claimed a 7-4 victory<\/a> at home over the Ducks<\/a> on Monday, ending Anaheim\u2019s seven-win streak, the Associated Press reported<\/a> in the L.A. Times.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The wrestling team from Fountain Valley did well at the recent Five Counties Tournament<\/a>. Issac Torres, Kavi Garvey and Mikel David Uyemora won their respective weight classes, leading Fountain Valley to a third-place finish overall. <\/p>\n

\u2022 In girls\u2019 high school sports, Newport Harbor\u2019s water polo team captured the title<\/a> at the Newport Invitational, Huntington Beach\u2019s soccer team remained undefeated after winning a game against Edison<\/a> and Costa Mesa\u2019s basketball team claimed an overtime victory over Garden Grove<\/a>. <\/p>\n

LIFE & LEISURE \"Claire <\/p>\n

Claire Arata, 30, of Aliso Viejo, has her hair \u201cStyled for Surgery\u201d by stylist Loni Kohlmer at Jamestown Grace the Beauty Collective in Costa Mesa last Thursday, the day before she underwent successful brain surgery. <\/p>\n

(James Carbone)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Hoag neurosurgery patients can take advantage of a unique offering dubbed \u201cStyled for Surgery\u201d that gives them the opportunity for a specialized hair stylist to ready them for the operation. My colleague Matt Szabo interviewed patient Claire Arata and stylist Loni Kohlmer last Thursday to learn more about the program, which he shares in this story<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Din Tai Fung is expanding to a third Orange County location with a Feb. 7 opening at at 812 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine. Reservations can be made at dtf.com\/en-us\/locations\/irvine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 People waited up to two hours in long lines for the grand opening of Ralph\u2019s Coffee<\/a> last week at the Ralph Lauren store at Fashion Island. <\/p>\n

CALENDAR \"Runners <\/p>\n

Runners in the 2022 Surf City Marathon, left, and runners in half marathon, right, finish alongside each other. The joint marathons take place Sunday.<\/p>\n

(James Carbone)<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Surf City USA Marathon and Half Marathon will take place this Sunday, Feb. 1 in Huntington Beach. For more information, visit the event\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Laguna Beach Music Festival,<\/a> co-presented by Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, is scheduled for next week, Feb. 2-7, at various venues.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Anaheim is hosting the Orange County Black History Parade & Unity Festival on the Center Street Promenade on Saturday, Feb. 7. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. More details can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

KEEP IN TOUCH<\/p>\n

We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n