Man seen running near Watsonville High School arrested with a handgun

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- Watsonville Police said they arrested an 18-year-old man after he was seen running with a handgun near Watsonville High School.

Officers on patrol reported the man running in the area of Marchant Street and East Beach Street at around 1:30 p.m. on Monday. Campus security for Watsonville High School also saw the man in the area and reported him to School Resource Officer immediately, per police.

Watsonville High School and Linscott Elementary School were put on a precautionary lockdown for a brief time. Minutes later, the suspect, Anthony Juarez, was found and arrested.

He was found with an unregistered handgun and ammunition, said police. He was not a student at Watsonville High School.

Juarez was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on several charges, including probation violation. He was put on probation for a past crime involving previous crimes involving guns.