ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Three men are in custody for possibly being connected to a murder and leading police on a manhunt in St. Augustine, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies searched woods off Masters Drive Wednesday afternoon when the suspects ran from a car that St. Augustine police believe was connected to the homicide. One of the men stayed with the car, but St. Johns County deputies and St. Augustine police with the assistance of a helicopter and K-9 teams search a wooded area off Masters Drive for the second and third suspects.
The names and charges against them were not immediately released, but police said there was evidence in the car the men ditched.
The search area was between Crookshank Elementary and the Vista Cove Condominium complex, where a man was shot to death Tuesday night.
The search prompted lockdowns in the early afternoon at St Augustine High School, Sebastian Middle, Murray Middle, Crookshank Elementary, St. Johns Tech and The Webster School.
"The schools were put on lockdown because the individuals fled on foot in the vicinity of the schools," St. Johns County Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan told News4Jax as the schools and the area was flooded with law enforcement personnel. "The first advisc I give parents is not to panic."
School officials said all the schools were closed for the day and began dismissal about 2 p.m. They warned parents there could be delays in the process because some roads in the area were closed by police activity.
"We were just, like, sitting in the locker room and they were, like, we're initiating a hard lockdown drill," St. Augustine High student Savannah Manuci said. "And we didn't even know it was real until we got the call and everyone's parents started freaking out."
In addition to parents of the students at the schools receiving automated calls about the lockdowns, another 3,000 residents in the area also were sent calls notifying them of law enforcement activity in the area, urging people to lock their doors and be cautious.
John Lecount was just one of the 3,000 people who received an automated call.
Lecount walked outside when he heard a helicopter flying over his home.
"I saw a line of police cars going around the corner. They had caution tape across the road and they had the road blocked," said Lecount.