Lockdown lifted at 2 DeKalb schools

By Kristi E. Swartz and Marcus K. Garner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County police are looking for two armed men who committed an armed invasion in Ellenwood this morning, causing a temporary lockdown at two nearby schools.

The lockdowns at Cedar Grove Elementary School and Cedar Grove High School shortly before 9 a.m., but were lifted before 11 a.m.

Around 8:30 a.m., a woman returning to her home in the 2300 block of Deer River Road was approached by two gunmen who forced their way into her home, said police spokeswoman  Mekka Parrish.

Once inside, they demanded money. Someone upstairs heard the commotion, and came down downstairs. At that point, Parrish said, the suspects tried to tie up the victims. When they were unsuccessful, they fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The man and woman were not injured in the robbery.

Because police were uncertain of the suspects' whereabouts,  the schools, which are less than a half-mile from the house, were put in lockdown as a precaution.

At no time was the school day disrupted, Parrish said.

But neighbors of the Deer River subdivision said news of the incident has shaken a community already plagued by burglaries.

"My home's been broken into three times," neighbor Ryan Reedom said late Friday morning. "I came home as soon as I heard what happened."

Both Reedom and Alzo Bonds, who lives a block away from the incident site, said residents in the neighborhood already have been on heightened alert against property crime.

"I have cameras set up around my house," Bonds said.

But Friday's home invasion means that residents may have to become even more vigilant to protect their homes and themselves, Brittany Arnold said.

"We're going to have to pay closer attention to our surroundings," she said.

Police are still looking for the suspects. One was wearing a T-shirt that said "Police." No other descriptions are available at this time.

Detectives are still investigating.