A suspect who was driving a van in the wrong direction and crashed onto the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts campus in downtown West Palm Beach was shot and killed by police on Friday after an altercation, a police spokesman said.

The van was traveling east in the westbound lanes of Banyan Boulevard when it crashed through a locked gate on the school campus just before noon and the driver ran inside the auditorium, West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles said during a news conference on Friday afternoon.

A West Palm Beach police officer arrived within a minute of receiving the call and went inside the auditorium after the suspect, Jachles said.

"At that time, there was a struggle," Jachles said. "There was some type of fight that ensued between the officer, school staff and the suspect. A West Palm Beach police officer discharged his weapon, striking the suspect."

WATCH: Police, superintendent hold news conference after Dreyfoos School shooting

Police, school officials hold news conference about shooting on Dreyfoos School of the Arts campus

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, Jachles said.

He said there were no students in the auditorium at the time of the shooting.

"At no time were any students or faculty injured," Jachles said.

The suspect's identity hasn't been revealed.

Jachles didn't say how many shots were fired or if the suspect had a weapon, "but what I can tell you is, an intruder on a school campus crashing through gates acting erratically and violent, nonetheless, is going to be dealt with appropriately."

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Chopper 5 flies above large police presence at Dreyfoos School of the Arts

After plowing through the gate, the van then crashed through a breezeway, a palm tree and narrowly missed a nearby maintenance worker, Jachles said.

"A vehicle is a deadly weapon," he added.

Palm Beach County Superintendent Mike Burke said students were leaving campus in "an orderly dismissal."

RELATED: Parents, students reunite while Dreyfoos School of the Arts placed on lockdown

"It's a very fortunate outcome," he said, commending West Palm Beach police for their timely response.

Burke said there were no immediate plans to review school security as a result of the incident.

"We have gates at 179 schools across our campuses," Burke said. "But they're locked and secured, and this is a rare event."

Adam Myers, president of the Fraternal Order of Police for West Palm Beach, released the following statement:

This story was originally published by Peter Burke and Ryan Hughes at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An investigation is underway in West Palm Beach, Florida after a bicyclist fell to her death while on an opening draw bridge that connects the city to Palm Beach.

West Palm Beach police said Sunday that an older woman, whose name has not been released, was walking her bike across the Royal Park Bridge when it started going up.

She was just 10 feet away from the end of the bridge when she fell to her death through a gap in the road, authorities said.

Elizabeth Humphreys

"The woman tried to hang on. There was a bystander nearby who tried to help her, but tragically she fell five or six stories below where she died landing on concrete," said West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles.

"There is a bridge tender, and that bridge tender has certain safety protocols to follow, specific safety protocols...that includes lowering of the gates for the vehicles, lowering of the gates for the pedestrians, and making several visual confirmations that there is nobody at either of the spans or past those gates."

The Royal Park Bridge was closed for nearly six hours and is equipped with barriers and bells alerting people when the bridge is going up.

Elizabeth Humphreys

While police look into what went wrong, bicycle safety advocates like Juan Orellana said the Royal Park Bridge is highly trafficked.

"Palm Beach is accessible only through three bridges and this is the main bridge, so it's very used by cyclists," Orellana said. "For one thing you will hear the bell before the arms go down, so when you hear the bell you gotta get out of the way before the bridge goes up," Orellana said.

"Always drive defensively, always be aware of your surroundings, see what's going on, because it's our life that we're playing with sometimes," he said.

Elizabeth Humphreys

Palm Beach police will study surveillance video as their investigation continues and local safety advocates are urging residents and tourists to be alert and aware when on roadways and bridges.

This story was originally published by Joel Lopez of WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and volunteers from the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership released an orphaned manatee into the wild Thursday.Aiya, a young female manatee, was rescued off Fort Pierce, Florida, in February of 2021. Conservation commission officials determined she was an orphaned calf who was suffering from malnutrition and cold stress lesions. The manatee was taken to SeaWorld by FWC and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute for rehabilitation.She was released in West Palm Beach in the outflow area of Manatee Lagoon on Thursday morning. Aiya has a satellite tracker to see where she swims.Video below: A look at the Aiya before she was rescuedFlorida Power and Light announced in December that it would work to support manatee rehabilitation and rescue with $700,000 over the next three years.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —

"As soon as I was healthy enough, I went and got the vaccine. It was really important to me," explained Keren Sharlow.

Sharlow has a 3-year-old daughter and recently gave birth to a son. While she feeds him her milk full of antibodies, she said she is producing so much milk she wanted to share with other families.

She turned to Facebook to donate her extra supply.

"I did have some parents mention they were happy I had the vaccine and they were specifically looking for it," said Sharlow.

There are a lot of ads online looking for milk specifically with antibodies, something local OB-GYN Dr. John Caravello, from St. Mary's Medical Center, isn't surprised by.

"A baby who is breastfed exclusively for six months to a mother who received the vaccine or natural immunity, that baby is constantly getting antibody protection," said Caravello.

Caravello said if you are seeking milk online, it comes with a risk.

"I would be cautious about someone selling their milk, unless they are able to demonstrate they have gone through an appropriate pasteurization process that has been proven and they have been screened and that their milk is free of communicable disease," explained Caravello.

The doctor said when you pasteurize the milk, you are also removing a lot of the good nutrients, including some of the antibodies.

"People are kind of desperate. They want to do something to protect their baby," said Caravello.

Sharlow said she does not pasteurize, but the families she donates to know that.

The doctor said if you want to buy milk online, you should ask if the milk is pasteurized, get specific information about the donor's diet, ask how the milk is stored and make sure the pump is properly cleaned.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A driver in West Palm Beach survived a violent car crash without serious injuries late last month.

The West Palm Beach Police Department posted a video of the crash on its Facebook page Thursday.

The agency released little information related to the incident.

The video, which has a timestamp of Wednesday at 1:51 a.m., shows a car driving fast on Flagler Drive near Eighth Street.

Video shows that multiple police vehicles were parked along the road on the opposite side of the fast-moving car.

As the car passed officers, it smashed head-on into a light pole and burst into flames.

"All of a sudden, I hear a boom, and I looked out of my window," witness John Piscr said.

Violent crash caught on camera in West Palm Beach

Piscr looked out his window from a building across the street from the crash.

"And all of a sudden I see a fire, I see cop cars, I see the cops come up with fire extinguishers to put out the fire and drag the driver out of the car," he said.

Piscr said after living in the building for five years, he often sees people traveling fast along Flagler Drive and all too often crashing.

"People have hit other light poles down here. People just fly through the curve, and they lose control. So it's happened before," he said.

The video shows officers responding to the wreck and later dragging the driver, whose name was not released, away from the crash.

"Just shocked, amazed, and thanks to God that everyone was OK, especially my officers because they were right there. In one fell swoop, I could've been at a loss of four officers," assistant chief of police Tameca West said.

West said the video is a teachable moment.

"Thankfully everyone is fine. This vehicle missed several officers who were standing nearby!" the department posted on its Facebook page with the video.

This story was originally published by Scott Sutton and Todd Wilson on Scripps station WPTV in West Plam Beach, Florida.

While Cubans and other Hispanics continue to struggle for equality, a Florida artist is at the root of that crusade. His art may make you think twice – whether it’s in a subliminal message or one of his more controversial exhibits.

Inside The Box Gallery in West Palm Beach, Florida, curator Rolando Chang Barrero, also known as “The Bird Man,” creates his next piece.

He’s not only an artist but an activist.

“It’s a powerful means of communication,” Barrero said. “Whether it deals with Cuba, homosexuality, because I am gay, the artwork also stems from that larger-than-life image. So, it hits you.”

Rolando uses current headlines and historical events as his influence. He exposes problems and gives them a silent voice of expression.

“We’ve taken the time to deal with social issues, which includes race and ethnicity,” Rolando said.

Whether it’s the 2018 Parkland school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School or showcasing other artists, like Dominic Esposito’s “The Opioid Spoon Project,” Rolando said he knows what it’s like to struggle growing up in Miami.

His parents are from Cuba and sought political asylum in the United States.

“It was the '60s, and there was no Hispanics,” Rolando said. “And racism was at its peak. Life changed in kindergarten. We had to go out and mix with other kids. We were the ones that stood out. It wasn’t once or twice that we would come home beat up. That was a sign of the times in this country.”

He said inequality is still rampant, but he uses it to promote positive change in the community.

Rolando said it’s important to value yourself, adding that fighting for that value is the only way Hispanics will be on an equal playing field.

Rolando said he has always drawn outside the lines – using art to make people think outside the box, which he said he wants to instill in young artists.

“As soon as they put a drawing pencil to paper or a brush to a canvas, that’s a powerful medium. And if you’re going to paint flowers, make sure it’s the most beautiful flower in the world and that it resonates with the broadest amount of people," he said.

Watch the video above for the full story.