Teen accused of ax vandalism arrested in Scripps Ranch

A Scripps Ranch elementary school was placed briefly on lockdown Tuesday after police pursued and arrested a teen who fled his nearby house after using an ax in a dispute with his parents, San Diego police said.

Police were called at 3:48 p.m. to a residence on Red Cedar Drive, near Turret Drive, regarding a 15-year-old boy who was having a dispute with his mother and father, police Officer Dino Delimitros said.

The teen was breaking windows in the house with an ax and doing “some serious damage,” the officer said.

He also used the ax to vandalize a shed in the back of the house that was used as a “man cave” and vandalized cars in the garage, Delimitros said. No injuries were reported.

The boy ran from the residence toward Jerabek Elementary School on Avenida Magnifica. Officers, assisted by a police helicopter, took him into custody by the ball field, Delimitros said.

The teen was booked into Juvenile Hall on a charge of felony vandalism, Delimitros said.

The school was placed on lockdown from 4 p.m. to 4:08 p.m., said Linda Zintz, spokeswoman for the San Diego Unified School District. The principal posted a message on the school’s website, saying San Diego Unified School District Police directed the campus to be locked down during the police activity.