UC Berkeley threat: Students remain on edge over returning to classroom after threat of violence
BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- UC Berkeley students are not quite at ease after the multi-hour lockdown that took place on campus Thursday while police searched for a suspect who they say made "serious and credible threats of violence" toward people who work and learn at the university.
Classes will be back to normal Friday as investigators say the issue is resolved
The sound of sirens greeted thousands of students at UC Berkeley Thursday morning. The university's campus implemented the shelter-in-place order around 10 a.m. and lasted for hours.
"It was definitely a scary experience," said student Steve Escobar.
Earlier in the day, school officials had received information that an individual affiliated with the university posed a serious and credible threat to others on the campus.
SKY7 video showed armed police officers searching the campus during the lockdown trying to locate the person in question.
"UCPD was able to access fairly quickly and take action fairly quickly that led them to the conclusion that the individual no longer posed a threat to any individuals on campus or the campus itself," said UC Berkeley spokesperson, Dan Mogolof.
The person was eventually found, as police said the person was located at an off-campus location and poses no immediate threat to the community. But the university is remaining tight-lipped about more specific details, citing privacy reasons for all those involved.
VIDEO: UC Berkeley police locate person behind threats of violence on campus
Despite the shelter-in-place order being over, several of the students we talked to say they still have concerns.
Escobar says even though the school sent out digital updates, many students still felt like they were left in the dark.
"We really don't get the transparency of why we're in a lockdown. Whether we should barricade the doors, whether we should barricade the windows, why are we staying away from the windows," he said.
Similar sentiments were also shared by fellow student, Jordan Shellow, who tells ABC7 News many of his classmates remain on edge over returning back to the classroom.
"I'd at least like an announcement of, oh we got the person. Or more than just like all clear. Or just somewhere more where it's like, I can go back to school tomorrow and feel more safe," Shellow said.
In a statement, Cal said they could not share real-time information during the lockdown to protect the investigation.
Though campus operations will be back to normal Friday, resources have been made available to staff and students struggling after the day's events.
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