Teachers praised following knife man scare

A 45-year-old was in custody today after a man stormed into a Sligo school brandishing a knife and fake gun.

The intruder, dressed in army fatigues, chased pupils through the yard and corridors of Summerhill College in Co Sligo during lunch break yesterday.

Two school supervisors tackled him and tried to escort him off the grounds after he chased pupils in the playground of the secondary level school.

But he escaped and ran inside, brandishing what pupils thought was a gun.

Pupil David O’Gorman said: ‘‘He came in through the front door. He had the gun down by his side, I was so scared.

‘‘I just ran up the corridor but luckily enough for me he went up the other corridor.

‘‘Some of the supervisors went up there and got the gun off him and all the teachers got him to the ground,’’ he told RTE News.

School Principal Michael Murphy paid tribute to the staff who tackled the armed intruder, who was reported to be an American citizen.

‘‘It was an extremely volatile, scary situation for all of us,’’ Mr Murphy said.

‘‘But because of our fantastic teaching staff and with the assistance of our newly appointed supervisors they quickly brought the situation under control.

‘‘They made a citizens’ arrest. They wrestled him to the ground, disarmed him of the dangerous equipment he was carrying and called the police,’’ he added.

It is understood that Mr Murphy had been calling on the Education Department for improved security at the school for the past three years, describing the site as a security risk.

He is believed to have called for a total upgrade of security immediately.

A police spokesman confirmed that a 45-year-old man had been arrested following the incident at the school, which has around 1,000 students.

It is understood that officers recovered a hunting knife with a nine-inch blade, two Swiss Army Knives and an imitation firearm. The police spokesman said: ‘‘A man has been arrested and is being held at Sligo Garda Station under section four of the Criminal Justice Act.’’

He added: ‘‘No-one was injured in the incident.’’