Students are warned to shelter in place at Claremont McKenna College and police are working to clear the area following reports of a possible active shooter Thursday evening.
The Claremont Police Department received a call of an active shooter on campus around 5 p.m. and were working with regional agencies to respond to the potential threat and clear the area, the department said in a 6:20 p.m. statement.
The college said that a shelter in place order has been issued while police work to ensure the campus is secure in a 5:50 p.m. alert posted on its website.
The incident comes one day after a swatting call for an armed shooter prompted a massive police response and evacuations at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital in San Bernardino County. That report was unfounded and no one was injured.
All five undergraduate college campuses that are part of the Claremont consortium — Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College and Pitzer College — received a campus safety alert at 4:55 p.m. notifying them of police activity at Claremont McKenna College and warning them to stay away from the area, according to reporting from campus newspaper the Student Life.
At 5:15 p.m., another alert was sent warning students to shelter in place if on campus, or stay away if off campus. This was followed by a 6:09 p.m. email from Pomona College Dean of Students Avis Hinkson canceling evening classes and urging students to shelter in place due to an active threat, the student paper reported.
Helicopter footage captured by KTLA news showed a significant police and SWAT team response.
