Arizona police TASER and arrest parents after they tried to enter locked-down school to protect their children

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El Mirage police claimed that parents came to the school's campus before the students and teachers could even be evacuated. "They were physically attempting to get into campus, and they were getting into physical altercations with our officers," Chavez said, according to the Daily Mail. 

Darlene Gonzales told NBC News that her her daughter texted her saying the school was in lockdown, following which she and her oldest son arrived at Thompson Ranch to pick the girl up. Upon arriving, she was told by police to park and wait across the street. "We got there, met up with other parents and by this time, parents were starting to show up little by little," she said. "So, we get there, nobody can cross, no parents were crossing the street, we were waiting and scared."

Gonzales said that she and the other parents heard an announcement through the school's PA system about 20 to 30 minutes later that the lockdown had ended and there were no threats any longer. "At that time, parents started saying let's go to the school," Gonzales continued. "We're all together, everybody started crossing to the school. We got there and no officers were telling us to leave."

Gonzales said that tensions soon began to rise and an officer approached her son, who was carrying a handgun in his pocket. The officer grabbed him and and his handgun fell to the ground, and two parents stepped in to assist the boy. During an altercation with the police, Gonzales said she was thrown to the ground. "I got thrown," she said. "I felt like I lifted off the ground and when I fell I hit my head and I bounced up and then the rest of my body, I blacked out for a very short amount of time." Chavez later said it is illegal to possess a firearm on a school campus. 

Sharing a video of the incident, one of the school's children's parents, Elizabeth Zavala, wrote, "El Mirage Police Department have some explaining to do.. my son & his classmates saw this. Out of control the whole situation! Clearly the parents were trying to keep the gun that was dropped safe & saying. “There’s a gun” & holding it on the floor. Police had no control .. Using violence with violence. They refused to keep parents informed. That would keep many people calm to follow police protocol."

Police were reportedly alerted to the school after witnesses clamied they saw an armed man enter the school. Police said that the accounts were found to be "unsubstantiated." Renee Ryon, a spokesperson for Dysart Unified School District, said that a man who seemed to have been carrying u handgun did "unsuccessfully attempt to gain access the campus via an exterior door." "The campus immediately went into lockdown and the individual fled, never having gained access to the building," she added. The man man who triggered the lockdown was located by police. He will be evaluated by mental health professionals, and charges against him are pending. 

El Mirage Police Department narrated the situation in a Facebook post. As comments slamming the police began piling up on the post, the department's Chief Marzocca wrote in a comment that "we are made up from the public therefore we aren't perfect." "We can all agree, children are our top priority. We are moms and dads just like you. As law enforcement we must work everyday to earn your trust. What happened in Texas is foreign to what law enforcement in Arizona learn. As your Chief of over four years I know our department is made up of warriors and guardians. We need to have the mindset to battle the evils that want to pray on our society but must also have the compassion to help those in the worst of times. We are made up from the public therefore we aren't perfect. I don't know any profession that has perfect people. Some call us first responders but we really are the last responders. When all else fails, police must be there no matter the situation," the comment reads. 

"We had very concerned parents respond and as the school was secured and tried to get into the building while it was on lockdown. Some even jumping walls. Fights and arguments even started between parents. My heart sank today when I heard over the radio a call of 905 which means emergency assistance needed. Officers from everywhere responded. I learned a subject had pushed my officer in the chest with force and during the assault a handgun was found on them. Two other people tried to protect this person from being arrested and were also arrested. Just because one may not agree with a law doesn't give them a right to disobey whatever laws they don't agree with. I read comments that we should just let them go. The answer to that is no. One doesn't get to create this chaos at a school in an emergency situation and walk away. If our officers do wrong you can bet I will investigate and deal with the situation. In closing I get it, you are parents and you want what is best for your children and would do anything to protect them. We want the same! Lets work together, the police are the public and the public are the police," it adds.