May 3, 2019
1 min read

Report of Man With Knife Prompts Lockdown at CEC

Students walking at Centennial Education Center in Santa Ana. / Oliver Rivero / el Don

Police locked down Centennial Education Center for about half an hour on Friday, when a non-student came onto campus and reported that he was being chased by another non-student with what appeared to be a knife.  

Officials said they initiated the lockdown after an unidentified man came into the campus’ main office claiming that he was being chased around the park by another man with an object that he believed to be a knife.

Vice President of Continuing Education Jim Kennedy immediately made the decision to put the campus into lockdown and notify Santa Ana police. Once police arrived, the victim refused to cooperate with questioning and was later escorted off campus. Police declared no crime occurred.

Campus Safety and Security conducted a search on the campus and reviewed video footage in search of the alleged suspect who was said to have a knife. But the search was unsuccessful.

“[Our job was to] secure the campus as quickly as possible,” Kennedy said. “We didn’t know when the initial notice for lockdown was going to come [and when] we don’t have a lot of detail, our effort is to lock down the campus as quickly as we can.”

District Safety and Security issued a RAVE alert via email and text message at 10:39 a.m. stating that the campus was under lockdown and to shelter in place. An “all clear” message went out at 11:07 a.m.

Many students who were on campus throughout the incident said they were unaware of the lockdown. For those who were aware, however, campus operations appeared to continue as normal.

READ MORE:  Jodi Coffman Obituary

“The only thing the teacher did was lock the door and continued class,” a CEC student witness said.

Additional reporting by Nikki Nelsen.

Previous Story

Dons Sophmores ​Sent Off on a High Note

Next Story

Drag Queens Return To Educate and Amaze Campus

Latest from Blog

Q&A with Chancellor about Measure G

The district’s nearly $1 billion bond measure did not pass in the 2024 election. The measure earned 51% of votes, falling short of the 55% needed to pass. Measure G was Rancho

On-campus immigration legal services postponed

Undocu-Scholars program students will have to wait another month to access free on-campus legal advising, workshops and other immigration legal services. Santa Ana College’s only program serving undocumented students provides a space
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Celebrating Victoria Barrios: community members gather to remember

In an empty lot two blocks away from Downtown Santa

Student intervenes in alleged assault

Santa Ana police arrested a man Oct. 27 near campus