Santa Maria Police were called Thursday afternoon to a junior high school that was already on lockdown after a student mistakenly called his family and told them a man was on campus with a gun.

Fesler Junior High School and other local schools were put on lockdown about 1:15 p.m. as a precautionary measure while police, assisted by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, followed and then stopped a vehicle nearby with an occupant wanted for robbery, according to police Sgt. Terry Flaa. 

The vehicle was stopped in the northwest part of the city, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident, Flaa said.

During the lockdown, a Fesler student called family members and mistakenly said there was a man on campus with a gun, he said.

A family member contacted police, who responded quickly to the school, securing the students and staff. 

Further investigation revealed the miscommunication with the student to family members, as no students or staff were ever in danger, Flaa said.

— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.