Suspect Search Prompts Southwestern College Lockdown

NATIONAL CITY, CA – A man considered potentially armed and dangerous fled following a South Bay traffic accident toward the grounds of a nearby Southwestern College campus, prompting a roughly hourlong lockdown while officers searched the grounds of the facility.

City police alerted staffers at the Higher Education Center at National City about the possible presence of the suspect there shortly before 3 p.m., school spokeswoman Lillian Leopold said.

Administrators directed all the employees -- no students were at the college at the time, as classes are not in session for the next term until Monday -- to remain locked indoors while campus police searched the campus in the 800 block of National City Boulevard.

About 4 p.m., the personnel gave an all-clear and began escorting all the staff members to their cars, Leopold said.

It was unclear if the wanted man, whose name was not immediately available, was ever on the campus, as several witness reports indicated might have been the case.

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---City News Service/Shutterstock image