LONG BEACH (CNS) - A student was in custody today in connection with a threat directed at Cal State Long Beach, which prompted officials to advise those on campus to shelter in place and others to stay away.
Campus police and university officials issued the alert about 3:45 p.m. after receiving what was described as a “credible threat,” according to Jeff Bliss, the university's executive director of media and digital news.
School officials later said the threat was in an email that was shared with university officials about 2:10 p.m.
The female student, who had an appointment at a campus resource center, was located and taken into custody, officials said.
Campus police gave the all-clear at 4:23 p.m., reporting that shelter in place orders had been lifted and “the sole suspect” was in custody.
“There is no ongoing threat, and the campus is open for normal operations,” according to a campus police tweet.
The lockdown of the campus was done out of an abundance of caution, Bliss said.
Campus police called it an isolated incident.
A change.org petition urging university officials to upgrade all doors was started in response to the scare. The petition notes that people barricaded themselves in rooms whose doors did not lock or only locked from the outside .
Pictures of doors blockaded with desks, chairs and an overhead projector were shared on Twitter.
“Students also tried to tie the doors together with cables or other items they had nearby. This is unacceptable and unsafe for CSULB students. This petition is designed by a CSULB student who agrees that doors need to have locks (and be able to be locked) in the event of such threats and/or school lock-downs,” the petition read.
“Sign this petition if you believe that university campuses need to have locking doors to protect their students from an active shooter or other.”
There was no immediate response to telephone calls and an email sent to Bliss late Monday night seeking a response to the petition.
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