SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8/CNS) - A report of a perceived threat that turned out to be unfounded prompted evacuations and closures of all Southwestern College campuses and related facilities Thursday.
The potential security hazard led school officials to begin clearing all students and staff members from Southwestern's main campus in Chula Vista and its four satellite locations about 9:15 a.m., college spokeswoman Lillian Leopold said.
The emergency security measures were prompted by a report by one student who overheard another make a seemingly menacing statement Wednesday night, according to Leopold, who declined to describe the nature of the perceived threat.
Tiffany Dye was in yoga class when another instructor came in the room.
“She was basically saying ‘this is an evacuation,’” said Dye. “’Everybody has to get out, everyone has to get home,’ so everyone starts rushing to their car.
Among the facilities evacuated and closed for the day were Southwestern College Higher Education Centers in National City, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, as well as Crown Cove Aquatic Center in Coronado.
Handwritten notes were posted at the San Ysidro building; Tatiana Patterson said she arrived to see a sign on the door in National City.
“I’m just as in shock as anyone would be,” said Patterson. “But I’m happy there’s no class.”
The evacuation caused a traffic backup on the main campus as students left and police locked the gates to incoming students.
Campus employees worked with the Metropolitan Transit Service to increase bus lines that service Southwestern College, and campus police directed traffic in the parking lot of the main campus to speed up the evacuation process.
In the mid-afternoon, college officials announced that law enforcement personnel had contacted and interviewed the student who reportedly made the suspicious statements and determined that he had not, in fact, issued any threat of violence, Leopold said. His name was not released. The spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the circumstances that resulted in the apparent misunderstanding.
All Southwestern College facilities were scheduled to remain closed for the remainder of the day, then reopen for normal operations on Friday.
Students who left vehicles at the main campus while evacuating were being allowed to retrieve them this afternoon and evening. They were directed to enter the school through its H Street entrance, Leopold said.
A statement from the college at 2:30 p.m. gave the following information:
The person of interest in today's evacuation and college closing has been contacted by Southwestern College Police. College Police, in collaboration with San Diego Sheriff's and Chula Vista Police, have determined there is no threat.
The college will reopen on Friday and resume classes and normal business operations at all campuses-Chula Vista, National City, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and the Crown Cove Aquatic Center.
If anybody needs to return to the Chula Vista campus today (Thursday) to retrieve their vehicle, they can enter through the H Street entrance.
We thank all students and employees for remaining calm during the evacuation.
We also want to thank our first responders at Chula Vista Police and Fire departments and the San Diego Sheriff's Department for working with us. We want to thank the Metropolitan Transit System for dispatching additional buses to help in the evacuation. We want to thank our community and educational partners, including the media, for helping us keep our community informed.
Statement from Southwestern College Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo on Thursday morning:
"We are working with our College Police to investigate a credible threat that we received from a student. In an abundance of caution while we investigate, the college is cancelling all classes and evacuating all campuses. We will post updates on our social media and on our website: www.swccd.edu."