A pair of would-be burglars in Covington were later found to have handguns in the hatchback of their vehicle after they were arrested Jan. 13.

The police pursuit of the suspects caused Kent School District officials to send Kentwood High School into lockdown mode while authorities searched for the burglars, according to King County Sheriff Department spokesman John Urquhart.

Four suspects were involved, Urquhart said, but only two were arrested. One of the suspects is an 18-year-old from Renton, and the other one who was caught is 19 and from Seattle.

Neither of the alleged burglars had permits to carry the weapons, which were found after the vehicle was towed to the Sheriff Department’s impound lot and searched, Urquhart said.

9-1-1 dispatchers received a call around 1 p.m. from a 16-year-old girl home alone in the 25900 block of 158th Avenue Southeast, about half a mile from Kentwood High. She saw a car pull up to her house and its occupants got out and then attempted to break the door down on the house, according to authorities.

The suspects fled when the home’s burglar alarm went off, Urquhart said, but they were involved in an accident shortly afterward near Southeast 260th Street and 106th Avenue Southeast. No one was injured in the wreck, and one suspect was arrested while the other three took off on foot. The second arrest was made a little while later, authorities reported.

Sheriff deputies joined officers from the Covington and Maple Valley police departments, as well as the county’s Guardian One helicopter and a K-9 unit in the search for the suspects.

County prosecutors will handle the case when the investigation is complete, Urquhart said last week.

Kent School District officials reported the lockdown at the school ended at 3:15 p.m. and that all students were safe.