SURC evacuated as “precautionary measure”

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Morgana Carroll, Staff Reporter

The SURC was evacuated Saturday evening as a “precautionary measure,” according to CWU’s emergency notification system.

The full message said: “The SURC and Rec Center have been evacuated as a safety precautionary measure. Please stay clear we will provide updates as we get them.”

As of 8:31 p.m., the alert system provided an update: “CWU police are negotiating with a person with a knife who is experiencing a mental health crisis. No students or staff are in danger.”

The suspect was taken into custody, according to an update provided at 10:12 p.m. The SURC will resume normal operations tomorrow, Jan. 23.

According to eyewitness Soren Janson, a CWU student, the police showed up at around 6 p.m. There were six officers, according to Janson.

By the time more students had begun to gather around the event, half an hour later there were multiple police cars and more officers on the scene. They had begun to tape off the area. 

The suspect had supposedly been pinned between the two sets of doors at the rear of the SURC, according to multiple eyewitnesses on the scene.

This story will be updated as information is provided.