Police takes down parent who held students hostage after hours-long standoff

SWAT officers on Tuesday evening swarmed a Riverside elementary school classroom and shot a parent who had taken a teacher hostage, ending an hours-long standoff.

The parent, identified as Riverside resident Luvelle Kennon, 27, died later at a hospital, said Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback.

The teacher, Linda Montgomery, sustained some scrapes and abrasions when she was grabbed and pulled into an empty classroom, Railsback said.

During the seven-hour standoff, crisis negotiators made contact with the man, but never heard from Montgomery, which is why authorities decided to storm into the room at about 6 p.m. It’s unclear whether the man was armed, but witnesses did not report seeing any weapons.

Officials canceled classes at the elementary school for the rest of the week.

The incident began shortly before 11:15 a.m. when the man forced his way past staff in the main office at Castle View Elementary School, Riverside Unified spokesman Justin Grayson said.

The parent, who has a daughter in first grade, did not appear to follow the school district’s safety procedures and check in with the front desk, Railsback said.

A male teacher confronted the parent, who responded by hitting that teacher in the face, Railsback said. A witness said that the teacher’s face was bloodied and his nose was broken. The teacher was treated at a hospital, police said.

The parent then took Montgomery hostage inside an empty classroom, police said, though it’s not clear why.

Police evacuated all students from the campus and began releasing them to their parents after 1 p.m. All the students were accounted for, Grayson said.