MACON, Ga. — A man is now in custody after putting a school on lockdown and evading deputies for several hours.
The man caused the lockdown at Westside High School when he allegedly jumped out of a car with a rifle.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis says the search for the man started around 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon when a Westside campus officer noticed a weapon inside a car and approached the vehicle.
The man then jumped out and ran off.
Jordan Haines has a sister and brother that go to Westside.
"I am worried about them and Bibb County is getting out of hand with this and they need to button down on it before it gets worse. The guy shouldn't have been on campus with a weapon in the first place with it being a school," Haines said.
The school halted dismissal and herded students back inside until the scene was cleared.
Haines says his biggest concern is where it took place.
"No one should have a gun within a certain radius of a school in any way, because if someone has a gun within a certain range of a school, then a bullet doesn't have a name on it," said Haines.
The man then ran to a nearby home and asked the homeowner to hide there. Davis said the homeowner refused and shot at the suspect's feet. The fugitive dropped the rifle and ran off.
He eventually made his way back to the same home on Columbus Road at around 8 p.m.
Alongside the Bibb County Sheriff's Office were the Georgia State Patrol, Department of Corrections, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Sheriff Davis said, "Especially when you have a situation like this with a school, everybody is going to come running."
Even though the man got caught, Haines is not happy that his siblings had to go through this.
"I wouldn't want my child going to a school like that knowing that, 'Oh, hey, we are not taking the right precautions to double-check and triple-check to make sure our school campus is safe for the kids,'" Haines said.
According to Davis, no one is injured. He says in a situation like this, every law enforcement agency around is going to come and help out, and he says the person who helped detain the man is an honorary deputy.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office says they will release more information on the man later..
Thursday and Friday, Westside High School staff and students will have virtual learning days.
The district decided to not have them come in due to the "social emotional impact" of the incident.