Two Schools Locked Down During Mecca Warrant Sweep

Sheriff’s deputies were serving 11 warrants and conducting parole and probation compliance checks in eastern Riverside County on Thursday.

The operation began about 7 a.m. in Mecca and Northshore, said Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, which confirmed calls from KESQ News Channel 3 viewers on Thursday morning.

Deputies, along with other law enforcement agencies, were also conducting parole and probation compliance checks in Coachella, Valenzuela said.

One caller said there were sheriff’s deputies all over the neighborhood, and a helicopter in the air.

A few arrests had been made as of 9:30 a.m., but the deputy said the operation was still under way.

As a precaution, Saul Martinez Elementary and Mecca Elementary schools were placed on lockdown for about an hour, said Mary Lou Marrujo, secretary to the superintendent.

Stay with News Channel 3 at Noon and KESQ.com throughout the day for developments on this story.