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A man was arrested after allegedly causing a disturbance on the campus of McGaugh Elementary School during a PTA family movie night.
On Friday, October 7, 2022, at about 7:45 pm, the Seal Beach Police Department responded to McGaugh Elementary School, located at 1698 Bolsa Avenue, after receiving reports of a male adult threatening children in the playground area of the school. At the time, over 100 parents and children associated with the McGaugh Elementary Parent Teacher Association (PTA) were attending a free outdoor movie event for families of children. Officers arrived on scene within one minute of being dispatched to the school.
During the investigation, officers discovered that a group of children were playing on the playground when the adult, male suspect was driving by the campus in a delivery truck. The man allegedly stopped his delivery truck, exited the vehicle, and began yelling at the children through a chain-link fence. The man accused the children of throwing candy at his delivery truck. At some point during this altercation, the man jumped over the fence and threatened the children.
Officers arrived on scene and detained the suspect as he was driving away in the truck. No weapons were located on the suspect or in the vehicle, and no children or other adults on the McGaugh campus were injured during this incident.
The suspect was identified as 33-year-old, Robert Fausett of San Pedro, California. He was placed under arrest for California Penal Code §422 (criminal threats) and §626.8 (causing a disturbance on school grounds). Fausett was booked at the Seal Beach Police Detention Center and later released on bail.
“We believe this to be an isolated incident,” said Seal Beach Chief of Police Philip L. Gonshak. “The students did the right thing by immediately notifying adults, and the adults should be commended for quickly calling 9-1-1. While we understand how frightening this incident was for the children and parents on campus, please know that the safety and security of the McGaugh community is one of our highest priorities as your Police Department.”
There is no current threat to the McGaugh campus or community as a result of this incident. However, this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is requested to contact Detective Sergeant Chris Hendrix at (562) 799-4100 ext. 1112 or [email protected]
