Northwestern University confirmed an active threat on its Chicago campus ended Monday afternoon after police apprehended a carjacking suspect who fled into a campus building, prompting the university to issue a safety alert.
In a text alert to community members at approximately 2 p.m., Northwestern warned of an active threat, advising people to run, hide and fight, take shelter and lock/or barricade doors. At the time, Chicago police were searching for at least one suspect who fled following a carjacking and police chase on nearby Du Sable Lake Shore Drive.
Northwestern tweeted in an update at approximately 2:30 p.m. that the active threat had ended, and there was no longer a need to shelter in place. The suspect was apprehended in the basement of the Ward building, officials said.
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Chicago police say the incident began when officers attempted to stop a carjacking suspect wanted for committing the crime in the Rogers Park area. The suspect then led police on a chase before bailing from the car around Lake Shore Drive and Pearson Street and running into the Ward Building at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
As a result, Northwestern sent out the alert advising people to take action.
"Locked my office door, the front door and my door, just sheltered in there until they told us they caught the guy," said Stephanie Valtierra, who sheltered in place. "It was scary, you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know who's got a gun, who's got a knife. People get desperate when things go wrong."
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The suspect's name hadn't been released as of Monday evening.
