Replica Gun Triggers Long Beach City College Lockdown

LONG BEACH, CA — A Long Beach City College student carrying a replica gun for a class triggered a campus-wide lockdown Wednesday amid fears of a would-be shooter.

The Pacific Coast Campus at Long Beach City College was briefly on lockdown following reports of a possible gunman, according to a notification received by LBCC students. However, the scare was a false alarm, and there was never any danger to the community, authorities said.

The campus was shut down, and students were told to shelter in place while police responded to the reports of a man with a gun spotted on campus at about 10:20 a.m. Wednesday. Long Beach Police Officers quickly made contact with the suspect, and determined that there was no threat.

"We are confirming that it was a replica firearm brought to campus by a student as part of a class," said Long Beach Police Department Public Information Officer Jen De Prez. "We want to reiterate there was never a threat to the campus or students."

The suspect was not taken into custody because no crime was committed, added De Prez.

No one was injured in the incident. By 11 a.m., the authorities informed students they were free to go.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS STORY; REFRESH THE PAGE FOR UPDATES