Wisconsin police arrested a man believed to be armed who tried to enter Roosevelt Elementary School on Thursday, the Kenosha Police Department said.

District leaders said the man tried to enter the school around 9 a.m. local time Thursday morning, carrying “suspicious bags.” When school staff tried to talk to him, the man ran out of the building and into the surrounding neighborhood. Scripps News Milwaukee reported.

The man was later located and arrested shortly after 2pm local time.

“We believe this was actually an armed suspect carrying a firearm and there was no legitimate reason to enter the school,” Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. he said.

Chief Patton added that only “quick and diligent action” by school staff prevented the man from entering the school.

Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Weiss said at the press conference: “Today we experienced what all school staff and families feared; a potential school shooting.” “We are grateful today.”

Schools in the area were placed on secure suspension while police searched for the man, who was later replaced.

Police said there is no longer a threat to schools in the area and deputies are “working with an abundance of caution.”

This story was first published by . Scripps News Milwaukee.