PORTAGE, Ind. — Portage High School went into Secure status Wednesday afternoon after police answered calls of a handgun disturbance in a business parking lot near campus, the Portage Police Department said.
Officers were sent about 12:12 p.m. to the lot on the northeast corner of US Highway 6 and Airport Road, Capt. Rob Maynard said in a statement published by WIMS Radio.
Key facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When | About 12:12 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 | Portage PD (Maynard) via WIMS |
| Where | Business parking lot, NE corner of US 6 and Airport Road | Portage PD via WIMS / The Times |
| School action | Portage High School placed in Secure status; entry restricted; classes continued inside | Portage PD via WIMS; The Times |
| Duration | About a half hour, The Times reported | The Times (Kasarda/Dolan) |
| Weapons | Knife brandished; bystander drew a firearm; no shots fired | Portage PD via WIMS / The Times |
| Charges | None announced; investigation ongoing; possible ID of female involved | Portage PD via WIMS |
What police say happened
A school resource officer heard the radio call and alerted district administrators, Candiano said. Portage High went into Secure status — doors locked, students inside, classes continuing — for about a half hour, The Times reported.
Initial reports: a man was battering a woman in the lot when bystanders intervened; he brandished a knife; a bystander drew a firearm in self-defense; no shots were fired, Maynard said.
The man fled in a blue passenger car toward Airport Road. The woman yelled that she did not want help, then left with him, police said. Officers have a possible identity for the woman and were trying to locate her for a welfare check. Neither person was publicly named Wednesday.
Secure status lifted
Secure status was lifted once officers on scene determined there was no ongoing threat to school safety, Maynard and Candiano said. Chief Mike Candiano said the district and SROs acted correctly with limited information and that the department secures a scene before posting live social updates.
Separate chase near Ameriplex
Within minutes, Candiano said, officers were sent to the Ameriplex area for a man driving a stolen vehicle and trailer with stolen snowmobiles from Michigan. The suspect fled, neighboring agencies helped with a lengthy search, and he was taken into custody. Candiano said that case was not related to the US 6 parking-lot fight.
What's next
The parking-lot investigation remained open Wednesday with no public names and no announced charges. Police said they were still trying to locate the woman for a welfare check. Region N3 will update if charges are filed.
Photo credit
¹ Central Avenue in downtown Portage, Indiana — photo by Dennisyerger84 at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for web; this copy is shared under the same license. Illustrative; not the US 6 and Airport Road scene.
² US 12 west at the Port of Indiana access road, Portage, Indiana (September 2026) — photo by AlphaBeta135, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Resized for web. Illustrative; not the incident scene.
³ US 12 west at Portage–Ogden Dunes station, Portage, Indiana (September 2026) — photo by AlphaBeta135, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Resized for web. Illustrative; not the school or Airport Road scene.
