The shelter-in-place announced at 11:35 a.m. has been lifted following a report of a man pointing a gun towards Alma Street on the Embarcadero overpass. (Photo: Kristine Lin)

Update at 3:15 p.m.: According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, released by the Palo Alto Police Department, officers located multiple adult witnesses who had observed a person matching the suspect’s description on the bike path at the time of the incident. They all said he was waving a cell phone in his hand, not a gun. The PAPD said the initial report about a gun threat is unfounded.

Update at 12:24 p.m.: In a Schoology Post from Principal Brent Kline, the PAPD completed a search of the campus and surrounding neighborhood, confirming that the suspicious person is no longer in the area.

“Surveillance cameras were also used to determine that this person did not enter the campus,” Kline’s post stated. “All classes have resumed a normal schedule for the rest of the day.”

Class is back in session after a student report of a man pointing a gun towards Alma Street on the walkway between Palo Alto High School and Town and Country prompted a 30-minute shelter-in-place starting at 11:35 a.m. today.

In a previously released post by the PAPD, officers were investigating reports of a male seen with a handgun on the bridge over the Embarcadero overpass. 

“One report was that he was pointing the handgun at passing cars on Alma Street,” the post said. “School staff have chosen to place the campus into a ‘shelter in place’ status while our officers investigate. Thus far, we have not received any additional reports of the man being seen. The preliminary description is of a Hispanic male adult with tattoos on his arms.” 

According to junior Charlotte Lungren, who was in AP Biology, she was reassured despite the disruption and trusted in her teacher’s capability of handling the situation.

“I was not that worried because a similar thing has happened before when it was just a kid who was trying to get out of a test,” Lungren said. “Also, I believe the teachers are well-prepared for any type of emergency and so we will all be fine.”

Senior Amol Tandon, who was in AP Environmental Science, said his teacher closed all the blinds and the class continued normally.

This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

Additional reporting by Celina Lee, Ashray Gupta and Sophia Yang.