UPDATE: Police Continue Search For Suspect Wanted on Multiple Warrants

UPDATE: 5:29 p.m.

What began as a possible hunt for a burglary suspect on Wednesday afternoon has turned into a search for a man wanted on multiple outstanding warrants.

And somewhere in the middle, the Heath Brook Elementary School was placed in lockdown for a brief time.

According to a Tewksbury Police spokesperson, the incident began earlier in the day on Wednesday when a female resident called police and reported that her credit card had been stolen. Some time later, women tracked down the man she claims stole the credit card at a residence on Shawsheen Street and confronted him.

That confrontation led to Tewksbury Police responding to the scene. Coincidentally, a State Trooper was driving in the area and the woman flagged him down and told her that the man that had just left the house had stolen her credit card.

The man in question then fled the scene, running through the backyard of a home on Shawsheen Street in the direction of Ronald Drive, near the Heath Brook School. As a result, the school was placed in lockdown for a short time, resulting in the buses running slightly late.

According to the TPD spokesman, the suspect, whom he declined to identify, had three outstanding warrants on him and is well known to law enforcement.

The State Trooper, in what appears to be a misunderstanding, called in the incident as a possible breaking and entering, asked for assistance and reported that he was pursuing the suspect. As a result of the State Trooper's description of the incident, the State Police Airwing unit was called in, as were area K-9 units.

Despite the search resources, the suspect managed to elude law enforcement. However, Tewksbury PD has several leads as to his possible location, according to the TPD spokesman.

ORIGINAL STORY

Heath Brook Elementary School has been placed in a lockdown this afternoon as State and local police track a suspect in the area of Shawsheen Street and Ronald Drive.

Parents are being told that the lockdown will be lifted soon but that the buses will likely be running late this afternoon as a result.

At around 2:15 p.m., a State Trooper reported being in pursuit of a B and E suspect on foot on Ronald Drive and was seeking assistance.

We will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.