Mental health incident leads to brief school closure in Langley

A temporary security measure was ordered at RE Mountain Secondary and Peter Ewart Middle in Langley on Wednesday as police responded to a mental health incident nearby.

The incident began at about 12:30 p.m. when a driver called the Langley RCMP dispatch center, said Cpl. Craig Van Herk, Langley RCMP spokesman.

After a brief conversation, the department’s staff determined that the caller had mental health problems.

The driver said they were on their way to the Langley Events Centre, which is right next to the two schools.

Van Herk said police ordered the closure of the schools out of an abundance of caution. The closure was lifted shortly afterward when it was confirmed that the driver had not, in fact, stopped there, but was traveling west on the Trans Canada Highway toward Vancouver.

Police stopped the driver in Vancouver and took him for medical treatment, Van Herk said.

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