GANS, Okla. — According to the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office (SCSO), the Gans Public School lockdown in response to an alleged armed suspect has been lifted after the FedEx driver allegedly lied about the incident.
On Wednesday, Oct. 25, SCSO announced Gans schools were on lockdown after a reported armed robbery of a FedEx van nearby. Police initially said the armed robbery took place near the town of Gans where an armed suspect stole a FedEx van and crashed in the area of Tower Estates before fleeing on foot into a nearby wooded area, believed to have been armed and dangerous.
After the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) and Cherokee Nation Marshals Service (CNMS), along with drones, aided SCSO in securing the perimeter and trying to find the suspect, deputies announced the incident had been staged by the FedEx driver.
"After further interviewing the driver and obtaining the inside vehicle video from the FedEx truck, we have concluded that the driver was lying and staged the incident," SCSO said. "We would like to thank our deputies, volunteers, the Cherokee nation marshals service, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the FBI, Sequoyah County Emergency management and local fire departments for all of your assistance today we had a great response with about 50 law enforcement officers quickly arriving on the scene."
The school lockdowns were lifted.
SCSO Chief Larry Lane said the sheriff's department is working with the district attorney's office and as of now, the driver could be facing a charge of filing a false police report.
"We are aware of the incident and will take swift action to address this matter," FedEx said in a statement to 5NEWS. "We are cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation."
5NEWS will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
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