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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Man taken into custody following Pierce College lockdown (updated)
A lockdown at Pierce College in Woodland Hills has been lifted after the campus was evacuated Friday so LA County Sheriff’s deputies could search for a suicidal student.
“He never made it here,” said Sheriff’s Captain Newman-Tarwarter of the Los Angeles Community College District bureau in a statement released by Pierce College. “Everything is fine. The suspect was detained by the LAPD off campus. There was no threat to the campus. The campus was evacuated as a precaution.”
LAPD Spokeswoman Nora Eisenman says there was concern that the man might have a handgun, the Associated Press reported.
Eisenman confirmed to KPCC that the suspect was taken into custody around 12:40 p.m. at the Canoga Park Bowl bowling alley near the college.
The lockdown and search began after a 9-1-1 call came in around 10:45 a.m. Friday after the student apparently left a note to his mother, a spokeswoman with the LA County Sheriff's Department told KPCC.
No injuries have been reported and it is unclear if the man was armed.
The college will remain closed for the remainder of Friday and reopen for classes and business at 6 a.m. Saturday.
A speech tournament scheduled for Friday was cancelled, the college shared on facebook.