Photo by Michelle Chance

Officers with the Chandler Police Department are searching for a strong-arm robbery suspect they believe to be hiding out in the neighborhood of Rancho El Dorado.

CPD said they have located the individual at a home in the area of Wade Drive but do not yet have him in custody.

Members of the Maricopa Police Department are working with CPD to establish a perimeter.

Residents in the are advised to stay indoors.

CPD public information officer Seth Tyler said the suspect allegedly committed a strong-arm robbery in Chandler early this morning and detectives tracked the suspect to the home in the Rancho development.

“Our SWAT team and Criminal Apprehension Unit is on-scene and working on getting the suspect into custody,” Tyler said.

Maricopa Unified School District spokesman Tom Beckett said MPD did advise them of the situation, but MUSD was not asked to put the nearest school – Santa Rosa Elementary – on lockdown.

They were, however, advised not to release their students until police deemed it safe. The students were released around 2:45.

At this time, it is unconfirmed if the suspect has been apprehended.

InMaricopa will continue to follow this developing story.

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Update: The scene was cleared and the house was empty.

Neither CPD nor MPD has released a description of the suspect or explained how detectives tracked the suspect to Rancho El Dorado.