Faculty, staff and students at Claremont McKenna College received multiple safety alerts to avoid the area because of a potential shooter on campus on Thursday evening, March 13.
Police later said they received only one call, and as of 6:40 p.m., no paramedics had rolled to the scene. LIttle beyond that was clear.
An initial alert that came through at 4:56 p.m. warned the community of police activity on campus, before a 5:11 p.m. email that said there was a possible shooter.
“POTENTIAL SHOOTER ON CMC CAMPUS STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA GHEAVY (sic) POLICE PRESENCE IN THE AREA,” the alert read.
Recipients were urged to avoid all places where law enforcement was present and to call 911 or campus police if they saw any suspicious activity.
At 5:15 p.m., campus safety officials urged anyone on campus to shelter in place.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department received a call to standby at 5:12 p.m. They remained on standby as of 6:40 p.m.
Earlier, about a dozen police and SWAT vehicles were seen around Columbia and 8th Street, and two helicopters circled overhead.
Claremont police said they received one call about a potential active shooter and officials were checking multiple buildings on campus. Because police only received one report of a threat, they said it could have been a hoax known as a swatting call, designed to send a large law enforcement response to an area based on a fake report.
Ryan Shakiba, a Claremont McKenna student, said he was walking on campus when Campus Safety told everyone to leave.
“We were told about an hour ago by campus security to run and to get off campus,” Shakiba said. “I don’t know much more beyond that, but I can’t return to my dorm as of now.
“It’s crazy,” he added, “this is happening the last day before spring break.”
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
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