STATEN ISLAND — A Great Kills elementary school was locked down after cops set off a manhunt for two armed thieves who tried robbery a nearby house, officials said.
P.S. 32 The Gifford School was shut down for 90 minutes after two armed robbers — a man and a woman — attempted a push-in robbery just a block away at an Elverton Avenue home, police and education officials said.
The desperate search was triggered after the would-be robbers rang the bell at the home, near Barlow Avenue, about 9:50 a.m. The man, wearing a dark-colored hoodie, threatened the elderly homeowner and pulled a gun, police said.
The homeowner, whose name was not released, bolted and called 911, cops said. He was not injured.
Swarms of officers searched the house but the duo had already fled.
Authorities locked down the school, which has more than 800 students, while cops canvassed the area for the robbers, according to the Department of Education's website.
Marge Feinberg, a spokeswoman for the DOE, said the school was locked down from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The school has since been reopened, she said.
Cops, meanwhile, were still searching for the armed robbers. Police said it did not appear that they got away with anything.
It was unclear if the attempted robbery was random or if the home was targeted.
Cops describe the male suspect as being thin. The woman, whom cops say is overweight, was wearing a light-green hospital uniform top, police said.
