DETROIT – Four people have been arrested after two people were carjacked in the parking lots of two Detroit schools while school was in session.
Both incidents happened in the span of about 15 minutes on Detroit’s Westside. They happened in the parking lot of David Mackenzie Elementary Middle School on West Chicago and Wyoming Avenue and at the nearby Drew Transition Center.
Things outside David L. Mackenzie Elementary Middle School are back to normal Monday evening. It was a different story, just hours before, when a woman was carjacked in the parking lot.
The carjacking forced the school to go on lockdown. Many parents were concerned.
“I was panicking. All I could think about is are my kids OK?” Kyiesha Wilson said.
Wilson said, she found out about the carjacking on Facebook, while her 11-year old son Trayvon Wilson was inside the school.
She hopped into action, without thinking twice.
“I went straight up to the school. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t want to walk, I just needed to get there as fast as possible,” said Wilson.
Detroit police said it was around 9:45 a.m. Monday, when an armed suspect carjacked a woman, who was sitting in her dark colored, four door Chrysler 300 in the school’s parking lot. He opened the door, ordered her out, and then drove off Westbound on Chicago.
“She was scared to leave the parking lot and the police were still there and they were still trying to figure how to apprehend this person, because they say he was on foot, on the loose,” said Wilson.
Police said just 15 minutes before around 9:30 a.m., another woman was carjacked just across the street from Mackenzie at Charles R. Drew Transiton Center.
Detroit Public Schools spokesperson released the following statement:
"A suspect approached a teacher in the parking lot at Drew Transition Center and demanded her possessions at gun point. The teacher yielded and the suspect fled as a passenger in a grey Dodge according to police.
At approximately 9:45 a.m., a suspect approached a parent sitting in her car across the street at Mackenzie Elementary/Middle School. Based on the police report, the suspect opened her door and ordered her out of the car at gun point. There were no physical injuries reported. The Detroit Police Department have four suspects in custody and believe all incidents are related, the District will continue to work closely with the DPD.
We are asking our families and staff to please be aware of your surroundings at all times and if you see anyone suspicious or any suspicious activity to please contact the police immediately."
READ: Detroit police: Carjacking at school and armed robbery on city's west side connected