When sharing her teen daughter's traumatizing experience, the 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star spills that students had to barricade doors with bookshelves.
- Apr 14, 2023
AceShowbiz - Tamra Judge has been reduced to tears by what her teen daughter went through at her high school. On Thursday, April 13, the series regular of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" tearfully divulged 17-year-old Sophia Barney's terrifying situation amid lockdown due to an armed man.
Making use of Instagram Story, the 55-year-old shared with followers details about the lockdown at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. "There was somebody that came to my daughter's school today and they put them in lockdown. He did have a weapon," she explained in a video post. "The kids are traumatized, the teachers are traumatized."
On what it was like for those inside the school, the TV personality spilled, "They had the students barricade the door with bookshelves, they were laying on the floor. One teacher handed out hammers, another one had a fire extinguisher ready to go after somebody. Kids were crying, 'I don't want to die.' "
In the video, Tamra also recalled how she felt upon receiving her daughter's texts informing her about the lockdown. "You get the text, and you're so helpless. There's nothing you can do in this f**king world. I am so sick of it. I'm so sick of what's going on," she bluntly pointed out.
Fortunately, Tamra's daughter, whom she had with her ex-husband Simon Barney, was unharmed. "If you just saw my text, I want you to know that everything's OK and they caught the guy," she assured in her video post. However, she noted, "My daughter now doesn't want to go back to school. It's her senior year. This has got to stop. It's got to stop."
In addition to her video, Tamra shared a screenshot of her chat with Sophia, which she described as "the text no parent wants to get." In the shot, it could be seen that the teen warned her mother, "We're having a shelter in place not a drill – not a drill. We're being locked in the classes with the lights off."
Tamra, in response, asked if Sophia was okay. In return, Sophia replied, "Yes I'm in a classroom we're hiding right now … just heard police sirens." When Tamra asked if there was a shooter on the campus, Sophia responded, "I don't know. No one knows."
After Tamra came out with Sophia's terrifying ordeal, her co-host on "Two T's in a Pod" podcast, Teddi Mellencamp, took to Instagram Story to show support. "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum wrote, "What happened with @tamrajudge's daughter today was horrible."
"I am so glad she is safe. No child should feel unsafe in school. And no parent should worry for the safety of their child while there," Teddi went on to stress. "We have to fix this!"
On the lockdown incident itself, a representative of Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) told PEOPLE that the armed man "was detained quickly." The rep added that once the man entered the school, he had security following him "because of his behavior."
PEOPLE reported that the man got arrested for trespassing, and no one was hurt during the incident. KTLA additionally detailed that the incident happened around 12 P.M. when the man told security he had a weapon, which was later found to be a pocket knife.
