1 In Custody At USF After Report Of Person With Bomb, Gun
Someone reported a man with a gun and a bomb near the library at the University of South Florida on Monday, and police had one person in custody.
There were no immediate reports of shots fired or injuries, and it was not clear whether the person in custody was tied to the original report and whether that report was real or a hoax.
Campus police said they asked the Tampa police bomb team to investigate the belongings of the person taken into custody.
The first call came in at 1:36 p.m. to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, which transferred it to campus police.
Students on campus were interrupted by a loud siren. An announcement over a loud speaker said there was an intruder and students should stay inside and lock their doors, said Amanda Barnes, an 18-year-old international studies major.
Administrators also sent several text messages to students.
"A lot of people were like, 'OK. I'm going to go up to my room, and no big deal,'" Barnes told The Associated Press. "A couple of people were like, 'Oh my God. I'm so scared.'"
Another student, Hannah Quill, told the St. Petersburg Times she heard the loudspeaker message too.
"It sounded like one of those tornado alarms up north," she said. "Everyone is like in classrooms on lockdown. I saw quite a few police cars heading towards the front of campus."
At about 3:30 p.m., campus police also reported a man was seen on campus in a black tank top and cowboy hat, carrying a black puppy and a large hunting knife.
Police said officers were en route but it wasn't clear if that was related to the original call.
Man held after intruder scare at Tampa school
University of South Florida police say one person is in custody after someone reported a person with a bomb and a gun near the library.
The agency on Monday called in the Tampa Police bomb team to investigate the person's belongings.
A man in a green striped shirt was led away by a police officer from the bus parking area of the campus.
Lt. Meg Ross with the campus police told NBC News that one subject was in custody, but it was not immediately known if that man was the reported armed intruder. There were no shots fired and no on has been injured, Ross said.
The school's Web site earlier alerted students that an intruder was at the main campus library. Students were urged to stay inside and lock their doors.
Live video from the campus, shown on MSNBC, showed police officers holding weapons on people who were coming off at least one bus in a parking lot with their hands behind their heads.
After the man was taken into custody, police officers put down their guns and the incident was apparently defused, MSNBC reported.
People were asked to avoid that part of campus and to report anything suspicious.
The campus transit system has been shut down until further notice.
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Sources: Huffington Post, MSNBC, Google Maps
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