Crime & Safety

Peninsula Shooting Threat Suspect Sought: Can You ID Him? [VIDEO]

Police say they've increased security at local schools. The man hasn't been spotted since Friday night, walking along El Camino Real.

SAN MATEO, CA — San Mateo police are increasing their presence at several schools this week after a man made school shooting threats at a Big 5 Sporting Goods store on Friday. The man was apparently heard commenting that he needed a good shirt to wear after threatening to shoot up a school.

Police, who first reported the incident on Friday night, followed up Monday with news that they are still looking for the man involved in the incident. They've released video footage in the hopes of identifying him, which we've embedded above.

"We want to say thank you to the community members that are being observant and calling in potential tips," SMPD Sgt. Amanda Von Glahn said in a news release. "We appreciate how collaborative the public and private schools in our city have been during this investigation."

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There are more than 30 schools in the county and police have been in touch with most of them, according to Von Glahn.

Von Glahn said the threat was nonspecific and there is no immediate danger to schools, so they have not asked campuses to shelter in place or go under lockdowns. Campuses can decide what they feel is appropriate, she said.

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"SMPD has increased perimeter patrols and rotating uniformed presence around our school campuses," she said. "We have asked our school administrators and faculty to maintain a sense of security and awareness and to report any suspicious behavior or activity."

St. Gregory School is one campus that instituted a voluntary shelter-in-place Monday. Von Glahn did not specify how many police officers will be present at schools, but some public schools already have campus police who rotate across the district.

Von Glahn said police set up a game plan with several schools over the weekend and the police presence will persist through the week.

Because the threat is not immediate, police have not activated the "Big Five" emergency protocol. The program outlines five different alert levels and is used across in schools the country.

In what they described as "an abundance of caution," San Mateo police asked on Friday for the public's help in identifying the suspect. A customer at the Big 5 Sporting Goods store on South El Camino Real called police around 5:50 p.m. saying he overheard another customer tell an employee he wanted to purchase a firearm and shoot up a school, asking the clerk for a good shirt to wear.

The employee did not sell a gun to the man, according to police.

Officers responded within minutes and searched the store, but they didn't find the man.

According to police, the witnesses didn't find the man's statements to be credible.

He is described as a white man who is about 35 years old and wore a camouflage sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Police believe the man is a transient and they are working with several local agencies to find him. He was last seen walking north on El Camino Real.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the San Mateo police dispatch center at (650) 522-7700.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Image via San Mateo PD

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