Police are looking for a man who carjacked a teacher Tuesday morning at a St. Petersburg elementary school.

The incident happened around 7 a.m. at Bay Vista Elementary School, 5900 Dr. ML King Street S. According to St. Petersburg police, the 37-year-old teacher pulled into the parking lot and was getting out of her 2009 Mitsubishi Outlander when a man approached from behind with a gun and demanded her keys and purse.

After turning over the items, the teacher fled toward the school and the suspect drove her vehicle out of the lot. It was later recovered abandoned in the 5100 block of Dr. MLK Street S about a half-hour later.

The suspect was wearing a gray hoodie, police said.



The victim was shaken, but uninjured.



Bay Vista Elementary Principal Kristina Bauman made a recorded call to families Tuesday morning.

"One of our staff members was robbed in the school parking lot," she said. "The staff member is OK and has assisted police by providing details of the incident. The safety of our entire school community is a priority and we are taking this concerning matter very seriously. We will work with police to ensure the safety of our campus as much as possible.



"Our students are safe inside their classroom with their teachers. As a precaution, a few officers are staying with us during the day."