May 1 (UPI) — A suspect remains at large after one adult and two children were hit by a car outside a church preschool in South Carolina on Thursday in what is being investigated as an intentional act, local authorities said.

“The driver of that vehicle fled the scene on foot and was last seen armed with a knife,” Sgt. Matt Storen of the Isle of Palms Police Department said in a press conference in front of the Sunrise Presbyterian Church on Sullivan’s Island, a beach town just outside of Charleston.

The town issued a “shelter in place” alert while police search for the suspect.

Police are using drones and officers on foot to search the area around the church on Jasper Boulevard between Station 30 and Station 32 Streets.

Storen said police received a call at 12:48 p.m. EDT describing a vehicle striking multiple people in front of the church, local media reported.

The child and an adult were taken to the hospital for evaluation. A second child was treated at the scene. The child who was taken to the hospital was released.

The suspect was described as a white male, heavyset, with a receding hairline and facial hair, and described as wearing a red shirt and dark shorts, an alert from the Town of Sullivan’s Island said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.