Police say they have detained a man who had been pointing a replica rifle at people near Bostrom High School in Phoenix before the start of classes Friday morning.

The man, whose name was not immediately released, was found to also be carrying a pellet handgun when he was detained, police said. The suspect was being evaluated by mental-health professionals, said Sgt. Alan Pfoul, a Phoenix police spokesman.

Police first began receiving calls at 6:40 a.m. about a man with a rifle walking near the area of 27th Avenue and Osborn Road and “pointing it at things and people,” Pfohl said. No injuries were reported.

The Phoenix Union High School District posted a notice on Facebook at about 7 a.m. instructing students and staff about a lockdown at the alternative high school due to police activity and instructed them to report to Metro Tech High School near 19th Avenue and Thomas Road.

Officers cordoned off the area to conduct a search and found a man matching the description given by multiple witnesses, Pfohl said. They quickly determined the “rifle” he carried was a decoy and wouldn’t have hurt anyone, Pfohl said.

“What is really great about this, is the officers worked very quickly to get the area contained,” Pfohl said, adding that Phoenix police used a reverse 911 system to alert residents in the area of “what was going on and to stay in the houses.”

School officials arranged for buses to pick up Bostrom High School students from Metro Tech and drive them to their own campus once the man was detained.

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