Parents upset after man seen handcuffed, marched through Pershing Middle School

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Several Pershing Middle School parents have reached out to ABC13 after they couldn't get answers from school administrators over a concerning security incident last Thursday, Jan. 11.

In a video shared with Eyewitness News, a man in a blue shirt is clearly seen handcuffed and being walked down a hallway at Pershing. Multiple parents and students told ABC13 that this occurred right as school dismissed for the day.

Soon after the incident occurred, Mariana Garcia heard about it from her sixth-grade daughter. She's been waiting for an explanation ever since.

"They should have immediately, that same day, sent out a call," Garcia said, with her voice trembling with emotion. "That's unacceptable that we're having to wait a whole week to hear anything about this incident. And worse, we're hearing it from rumors being spread among the kids."

The initial HISD police scanner audio shows the campus resource officer on the scene describing the man in question.

"Show me, heading to the courtyard possible trespasser on campus," the officer says.

"White male, blue shirt, possibly intoxicated," a dispatcher is heard responding in the scanner audio.

After ABC13 reached out to HISD, the school district finally responded Wednesday afternoon with an explanation. The district said the man was not an intruder after all. The district's statement read:

"There was an individual in the courtyard toward the end of the school day. He had a legitimate reason to be there as the school approached dismissal. We cannot say more about who the individual is due to privacy considerations. A teacher saw the individual in the courtyard and told HISD Police. An officer conducted an on-scene investigation. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Given that the person had a legitimate reason to be on campus, and because any concern was immediately addressed, the school did not send a message to families. The individual was never in the girls locker room."

Sources told ABC13 it was a parent who entered through the wrong door. However, it's unclear as to why he was handcuffed.

The incident and the cell phone video circulated quickly almost a week ago. With no official HISD information in the days that followed, many parents relied on Facebook pages and stories from their children to piece together what really happened. Trying to separate facts from rumors and ensuring their kids felt safe have been difficult.

"I have friends in eighth period who saw that, and I feel bad for them," sixth-grader Stella Wells told ABC13 while standing beside her mother, Lynn. "I want the safety for my peers and me to be important."

Lynn Wells said her family has a long history with Pershing, and they love the school very much, but she wants to see improvements.

"The last thing we want to do is get anyone in trouble. All we really want is the school to pay attention to the fact that we have a security (issue) on the north side (of campus)," she said. "All we care about now is what they are going to do going forward. How do we make our school safer?"

Multiple parents tell ABC13 they are relieved that this situation was not intruder. However, they want the school to improve safety and communication, so parents will not be left in the dark for days.

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