DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — The student at the center of a manhunt Tuesday has turned himself in after authorities said he hurt one of his peers in an altercation at Alexander High School in Douglasville.
The victim was taken to a local hospital conscious and alert, Douglas County Schools Police Chief Tracey Whaley said. They believe both students involved in the altercation were boys.
The school was immediately placed on lockdown around 8:30 a.m. following the incident. The school system's public information officer said it happened near the cafeteria in between class periods. Chief Whaley said there was no weapon recovered at the scene and they weren't sure what was used to hurt the other student.
He did say the victim had a puncture wound, though he could not describe the injuries any further. There was no indication any kind of gun was involved.
Surveillance video shows the suspect leaving the school and slipping into some nearby woods moments after the altercation, according to the district.
The district said the suspect could face criminal charges and be expelled from the school. Authorities are not searching for any other individuals in the case, they said.
Alexander High School's code red lockdown ended at 10:15 a.m., according to a district spokesperson. Several students were released to parents and guardians at 10:30 a.m.
The district is trying to reassure concerned parents and students the campus is safe.
"It's a very safe place for our parents to continue sending students to school, so we continue to have a tremendous amount of confidence in our schools and campuses," Douglas County Schools spokesperson Portia Lake said.
Douglas County investigators later said Wednesday that the suspect may have had a get-away driver.
According to the sheriff's office, the suspect and an accomplice were spotted running from the school and hopping into a black Mercedes near Dorsett Shoals Road. The sheriff's office said Georgia State Patrol pulled the car over. The suspect was allegedly dropped off near his home in Palmetto before turning himself in to police.