Elementary school campus closed in Winnetka while police search for discarded weapon

Police kept students and staff off an elementary school campus in Winnetka on Thursday morning while they searched for a weapon that may have been discarded by car-theft suspects fleeing police. One suspect is in custody; the other is believed to have left the area.

Two schools are located on the Sunny Brae Elementary campus, one a traditional school and the other an independently operated charter school which is authorized by but not under the day-to-day supervision of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The charter school is Ivy Academia, which operates its second- and third-grade classes on the site. The charter will remain closed until parents are notified otherwise, said Grissette Ortiz, a resource assistant working from a nearby Ivy Academia campus.

Access to the traditional school, which serves kindergarten through fifth grades, was expected to be restored by 7:15 a.m., said Gayle Pollard-Terry, a spokesperson for L.A. Unified. The school was expected to be open at its normal 7:30 a.m. time.

Police blocked off the surrounding streets while pursuing the two suspects, one of whom allegedly fired a shot at police.

KTLA reported that the confrontation with police occurred at about 11 p.m. Wednesday.

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Photo: LAPD officers continue their investigation of a car theft and shooting. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times