School lockdown ends, suspect sought

Published April 18, 2007 4:00am ET



Anne Arundel County police are continuing the hunt for a suspect wanted for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping after the man was spotted in a high school wearing women’s clothing.

Seven county schools were put on lockdown this morning after the suspect, 19-year-old Antonio Moore, was spotted by a school resource officer at North County High Schoool in Ferndale. Moore, wearing capri pants, a baseball cap and a flannel shirt, asked to meet with a female student at the school. The student said she was not expecting a visitor and she was put in a secured office. Moore fled the school before authorities were alerted.

Schools went on lockdown at 10:15 a.m., and the “Code Red” lockdown ended about noon, when North County High School students were sent home. A statement on the school system’s Web site said all schools were back operating on a normal schedule at 12:23 p.m.

Authorities began searching for Moore after he allegedly assaulted 30-year-old Teiko Johnson of Baltimore, then allegedly shot 20-year-old Michael Jay Francis and forced him into the trunk of a Toyota Solara beforedriving off. Police recovered the car with Francis’ bloodied clothing in the trunk, leading them to lean toward treating his case as a homicide, said Lt. David Waltemeyer, another police spokesman.

“Based on the blood in the car and the clothes, we think it was definitely a life-threatening wound,” he said.