LEWISTON — After concerns about a potentially unstable, armed man prompted the lockdown of schools and hospitals Thursday afternoon and early evening, police located the 34-year-old later Thursday night.

Auburn police had been searching for the man since early Thursday morning after he reportedly armed himself and made “seriously threatening remarks” just hours before he was scheduled to go to a Lewiston hospital for help with a drug problem.

However, Lewiston police said later that no actual weapon had been seen and that the man had not made threats to harm the public.

The lockdown was lifted shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday and the suspect was said to have been located. It was unclear whether any charges were filed by police.

An Auburn police crime bulletin identified the man being sought as Ryan Lizotte. Lizotte has a criminal history of convictions that include burglary and theft. In 2019, he was convicted of robbing a Big Apple store in Auburn and sentenced to two years in prison.

According to an Auburn police crime bulletin, Lizotte was free on bail conditions when he went missing early Thursday morning and that he had been ordered by the court to enter a drug rehabilitation program.

According to the bulletin, emerging evidence Thursday afternoon led them to believe Lizotte was near Union Street in Lewiston.

That’s when the search escalated. At about 4 p.m., officials from Lewiston Middle School and Bates College sent out notices that they were sheltering in place.

At the same time, Lewiston and Auburn police were on College Street, near Union Street, searching for the suspect with the help of a tracking dog.

A short time later, a police search was said to be underway behind Central Maine Medical Center, although the suspect was not found there.

Police were also seen searching with a dog at Campus and Central avenues and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s office sent deputies to help with the search.

Both Lewiston hospitals were locked down and police were asking that people try to avoid College Street between Sabattus and Russell streets.

At about 5:45 p.m., police surrounded a home in the area of Abbott Street and Mountain Avenue, near the Bates campus. Other officers with long guns climbed to the top of Davis Mountain and a drone was deployed but no suspect was found.

At about 6 p.m., Bates College lifted its shelter-in-place advisory, saying no explicit threats had been made against the campus.

“Lewiston police officers have performed a thorough search of the area,” according to the post on Facebook, “and there is no indication the individual of interest is in close proximity to Bates.”

At about 6:45 p.m., police shut down a section of Riverside Drive as the search continued. Residents in the area were told to stay in their homes, witnesses said, while police conducted searches of the area.

Several officers, meanwhile, returned to the area of Oak and Union streets at about 7 p.m. as the search pressed on.

The suspect was described as a heavily tattooed white man in his 30s who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

Hours after the manhunt began, police remained in several locations, including the middle school, St. Mary’s and various streets around Central Maine Medical Center.

Through social media and text alerts, word of the manhunt spread quickly Thursday afternoon.

Others said they learned about the situation through text alerts from the hospitals and schools.

A woman who lives off College Street said her puppy started barking frantically around 4 p.m. When she went outside to check on the situation, she found a team of police officers searching near her yard.

Mayor Carl Sheline said he was monitoring the situation Thursday night.

“I appreciate our police department’s quick response,” the mayor said, “and I’m following the situation closely.”

No additional information was available late Thursday on how the man was found or whether police were taking any further action.