Arrest of felon caps morning in which search for him caused Scandinavian Middle School lockdown

A man initially wanted for a carjacking was captured Wednesday by Fresno County sheriff’s deputies several hours after Fresno police searching for him locked down Scandinavian Middle School.

It turned out the suspect, identified as Robert Piceno, 37, did not carjack the victim. He was arrested instead on charges of felony domestic violence. Police Lt. Joe Gomez said Piceno is accused of forcing his girlfriend into a car and punching her in the head, causing a traumatic injury.

Police received a report of the carjacking about 8 a.m., when a caller told dispatchers an elderly woman was forced into a car at Cedar and Dayton avenues. Officers canvassed the area and saw the car near the school at Sierra Vista and Shields avenues. The suspect ran into an apartment complex west of the school and eluded a police search.

The lockdown of the school was lifted about 10:20 a.m.

Gomez said deputies investigating an unrelated domestic violence incident in the 4700 block of East Shields spotted Piceno and arrested him after a short foot chase. Piceno, already sought on both a felony and a misdemeanor warrant, was booked into Fresno County Jail.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Arrest of felon caps morning in which search for him caused Scandinavian Middle School lockdown."