Lockdown at North County school lifted after report of armed men near campus deemed 'unfounded'

SAN MARCOS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- An elementary school in San Marcos was temporarily placed on lockdown Friday morning after a report that two armed men were seen near the campus, authorities said. The report turned out to be unfounded.

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Just after 7:30 a.m. on Friday, deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff's station in San Marcos responded to a report about two "suspicious" men near Joli Anne Leichtag Elementary School, located in the 600 block of Poinsettia Avenue.

Authorities said a student had told a staff member that they had seen two men armed with guns and knives near the campus as she was walking to school.

School staff immediately placed the school under lockdown out of an abundance of caution, the sheriff's office said.

Following a search of the campus and interviews with multiple students, authorities determined there was not a credible threat to the school.

The alleged armed men were not located, and the lockdown was lifted before 9 a.m.

There was no individual armed with a gun or weapon near the school at any point, based on the witness accounts, SDSO stated in a news release.

"The safety of our school children is a priority for the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. We take all threats seriously," SDSO said. "We want to remind students that if they hear any threats or even potential violence, they can always approach our Sheriff's School Resource Deputies or call the anonymous Student Speaking Out Hotline at (888) 580-8477."