Suspects still at large after police chase that locked down Kiski Area East Primary in Vandergrift

Kiski Area East Primary School in Vandergrift was locked down Friday while police conduct a manhunt in the area.

The school went into lockdown early Friday before the school day began as police searched the nearby area for a driver who crashed and fled from a stolen vehicle.

What started as a traffic stop for a turn signal violation by Kiski Township police shortly after 8 a.m. evolved into a pursuit, according to Kiski Township police Chief Lee Bartolicius.

When police stopped a car that was reported stolen from New Kensington, a man who was a passenger fled on foot. The driver, a woman, drove off and led police on a chase through Kiski Township, Parks Township and Vandergrift, Bartolicius said.

Police have yet to locate or identify either person.

Drone teams from Murrysville Medic One and Westmoreland County K-9 units assisted with the search. Police searched the area surrounding the school for several hours, Bartolicius said, but did not locate the man.

No arrests had been made as of 7:30 Friday night, according to Bartolicius.

Caporali said the school was locked down out of an abundance of caution.

“There was never a threat to the community,” he said.

At the time of the lockdown, students who were already inside the building remained with teachers, with no one able to enter or exit, the district said in a social media post.

Students who took the bus were taken to the high school gym in Allegheny Township, where they now were able to be picked up by parents, the district said.

Staff writers Julia Felton and Patrick Varine contributed to this report.