Preschool Children Safe After Man Acting 'Erratically' Breaks In

DENVER (CBS4) - A preschool rushed to put children in the basement after a man was spotted trying to break into the school. It happened on Tuesday afternoon at the Catholic Charities day care on 28th Street in Denver.

The day care includes children from 6 months to five years old. Parents believe the quick work of staff and police may have prevented a tragedy.

About noon on Tuesday a man, described as acting erratically, tried to enter the building and staff told him to leave. He wandered around to another school building, kicked in the window and got inside.

The school put its emergency protocol into action which started with calling police. Dozens of children were escorted by teachers into the basement which is protected by a locked steel door.

"Unfortunately the intruder did gain access into the facility but due to the quick thinking of staff he was locked into a room where he couldn't gain access to the main facility where the children were already in the lock down room," said Catholic Charities CEO Larry Smith.

There were 18 staff members on campus when the man got inside. All but three or four went behind the locked steel door with the children. Officers arrived within minutes, found the man outside the school and arrested him.

Parents were called immediately. No one was hurt.

When asked whether it sounded like the school did everything right, parent Amber replied, "They did and I congratulate them because most schools don't do things according to what they should do. But I'm glad all the kids are safe and hopefully whoever did this ... they're in jail."

The man remained in police custody but has not been identified.