Bristol Borough School District lockdown ends with arrest

BRISTOL BOROUGH, Pa. - October 4, 2012 (WPVI) -- Police arrested a man for making threats of a shooting that resulted in the lockdown of Bristol Borough schools.

50-year-old suspect Daniel Gallagher looked sheepish Thursday night after sobering up from what he says was a drunken stupor and was apologetic for his actions.

"I was intoxicated, that's all. I am sorry," Gallagher said.

It all began when Philadelphia police received a call from a man, later identified as Gallagher, making threats against his former defense attorney in Philadelphia and against schools in Bristol Borough.

Philadelphia police contacted the Bristol Borough Police Department.

"The threats were made, viable threats of violence against the defense attorney, but also he had made a threat of 'blood will flow at one of the elementary schools.' He did not name the elementary school," Bristol Borough Police Chief Arnold Porter said

Shortly before 2:00 p.m. authorities placed Bristol High School and the Snyder-Girotti Elementary/Middle School on lockdown.

"Everybody was panicking, but we were all trying to stay calm. We weren't allowed out in the hallways," ninth grader Kenneth Feeney said.

"It was just crazy, I could not even imagine, Bristol, you would never think something like this happens," senior Andre Moore said.

"They told us to stay away from windows and doors, stay seated be calm and we stayed as calm as we could, we had procedures like this before in practice, but we weren't expecting it to be real like this," tenth grader Nick Smith said.

Police say the suspect had also indicated he had recently purchased an AK-47 and a .357 magnum at a gun show in Virginia.

The police traced the phone call and went to the Gallagher's apartment on Mill Street, but he was not there.

They searched the area and located him walking at the intersection of Otter and Bath where he was arrested at approximately 4:05 p.m.

"At approximately 4:00 p.m., our officers actually spotted the subject on the street and made an arrest," Porter said.

The lockdown was then lifted.

Parents and students on hand for his transfer were not happy and shouted phrases like "Have fun in jail" at Gallagher.

Gallagher faces charges of making terroristic threats and related offenses.

He currently remains in jail.

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