Azusa Pacific University students living in East Campus housing were allowed to return home Wednesday evening, more than four hours after all the school’s campuses were evacuated in response to “suspicious messages of a threatening nature,” including a bomb threat, university officials said.
The university issued an emergency alert announcing the evacuations about 5:40 p.m., and shortly after asked students living on campus to “shelter in place in their living areas.”
Students not on campus were asked to stay away, as access to the university was blocked off.
“At this point, we have not located any explosive devices or suspicious devices, but we are systematically going through all the buildings on campus,” Azusa Police Department Capt. Robert Landeros told KCAL9.
About 10:15 p.m. school police announced that East Campus living areas had been cleared by law enforcement.
“Residential students may return to their living units at this time,” APU Campus Safety said. “Upon returning to your living unit, residents must shelter in place.”
Law enforcement continued to search the West Campus and some street closures blocking access to the university remained in effect, school police said.
University officials said the evacuations included anyone at its numerous regional campuses, including Monrovia, Orange County, Koreatown, Inland Empire, High Desert, Murrieta and San Diego.