WATCH: Ripon High School Principal Hailed A Hero After Attempting To Take Down Suspect
RIPON (CBS13) — Unbelievable video captured the moment a high school principal tried to take down a suspect on the run.
Students at Ripon High School watched from their classroom window as a man scaled the roof of a school building to escape police on Tuesday morning. Students were just about to go to lunch when chaos broke out.
Video taken by a student shows alarm bells ringing nonstop as the school went on lockdown. The students quickly realized it was not a drill.
They watched the suspect pace around on the roof, then jump off. That's when Principal Keith Rangel tried to take the suspect down and barely missed.
"I was stressed and I was nervous and I didn't know what he was going to do or what he was planning on doing," said Katie Martin, a Ripon High School student.
Martin and her friends said it's a mystery how the suspect got up there.
"I think someone said he went between the two buildings and climbed up like that," said Brandon Bretao.
Ripon police identified the stealthy suspect as 23-year-old Jordan Anderson. Officers said on Tuesday morning they were called to an Ace Hardware near the school for a generator theft in progress. That's when they saw Anderson run away toward the high school as students were getting ready to go to lunch.
It set off a social media storm that made its way to parents.
"Originally the rumor was that the suspect had a gun," said Kristie Martin, Katie Martin's mom. "...Knowing how close the suspect was to our kids very frightening situation was a very frightening situation."
Police tracked Anderson down at Ripon Elementary where he was threatening to harm himself with a wooden object. They were able to take him into custody without injury.
But it's the brave action of their principal that students can't stop talking about.
"He certainly earned a lot of respect from me because I didn't really know him up until that point, but he learned a lot of respect from me and I thought it was pretty cool of him," said Tildon Madeiras, a Ripon High School Student.
Kristie Martin added, "He, in my eyes, is a total hero and we are so grateful to have principal Keith Rangel."