Univeristy of California, Irvine warns of possible gunman heading toward campus

[Sbane]

UCI warns of possible gunman heading toward campus

IRVINE – UC Irvine officials are warning students of a possible gunman dressed in camouflage headed toward campus.

Police received the report of a possible gunman at 1:26 p.m. today, but do not yet know if there's any danger, said Tom Vasich, a university spokesman.

At 2 p.m., officials sent out a mass text message using the school's zotALERT system.

The message warns: "At 1:26pm today, it was reported that a suspicious individual carrying a possible rifle was seen walking South from Mesa Drive toward the campus. Subject was described as a white male, 6 feet tall, 180 lbs, with blond hair and wearing a beige camouflage outfit and desert type boots. Call 911 immediately if subject is seen."

Bill Parker, chairman of the Department of Physics, said that people in Aldridge Hall are being encouraged to stay inside, but that the building is not on lockdown.

Junior Gordon Mak said that, while no official "lockdown" had been implemented on the campus, authorities were "highly recommending" they not leave the student center.

"It's pretty full, in terms of seating," he said.

Mak added that he witnessed a friend wearing military fatigues who was "brought down" and questioned by police.

"He was on the phone and this man came in and said 'You! Get on the ground!' He said. "They grabbed him and were on top of him like a normal kind of arrest you'd see on TV." he said.

Police then released the student in fatigues, Mak said.

On Twitter, others students reported being locked down in the Student Center.

Vasich said the university has not instituted its emergency plan for dealing with a gunman. They're awaiting instruction from campus police. Traffic on and off campus has not been stopped.

UCI is Orange County's third largest public employer, and has more than 27,000 students.

I was in lab when I got the text. We all continued as normal and left as normal and I saw many people walking around. Not sure what's going on at the Student center because my lab is on the opposite side of campus. The shuttles have stopped running as well. There are lots of cops around as would be expected and a helicopter making rounds overhead. Hopefully this is just a misunderstanding.

[??????????]

Hurry, ban paintball!

[Sbane]

Hurry, ban paintball!

LOL. That's what I said. Must be a retard walking around with his paintball gun.

[Sbane]

Latest "zotalert": Police are now focusing their attention on an individual seen carrying a paintball or airsoft imitation gun. LOL

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Do we get a thread for every possible gunman in Oakland, Richmond, or Compton?

[Sbane]

Do we get a thread for every possible gunman in Oakland, Richmond, or Compton?

If it leads to their bus system being shut down and people being kept under lockdown and I get incessant texts about it and I can find a news article on it then yes I will post it.

[King]

So... what happened?

[Sbane]

I already said it earlier. It was a guy with an airsoft gun. I actually called it in lab when we got the first text message. I only got concerned when 2 hours later my sister called and said all the buses were being shut down, and then I  found a news article about it. But yeah overreaction by everyone involved, but you can't be too careful considering the spate of school shootings recently.