Buildings on Ocean campus evacuated after bomb threat

October 23, 2019February 25, 2020 The Guardsman

By Meyer Gorelick

Students and faculty on Ocean campus were evacuated from the Multi-Use building (MUB), Creative Arts, and Science Buildings Wednesday, Oct. 17 after an unidentified caller at 2 p.m. told campus police that a bomb would go off at a designated time in one of those buildings.

A SFPD officer closes off the MUB parking lot on Frieda Kahlo Way and restricts access after a bomb threat was reported to the Ocean Campus on Oct. 17, 2019. Buildings affected and evacuated were MUB, Science Hall, Student Health Center and Creative Arts. After searching all of the mentioned buildings, the campus was given the all-clear and classes resumed at 4:33p.m. Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman.

Given the size of each building and the volume of students on campus, law enforcement made a joint decision to evacuate before conducting sweeps, said City College Chief of Police Colleen Fatooh. The goal was to make sure everyone was evacuated swiftly and safely without raising panic, said Fatooh.

News Choppers hovered over a tense scene as police cars, fire trucks and SFMTA vehicles blocked off Frida Kahlo Way during the evacuation. Students and faculty gathered on the sidewalk outside of the MUB , some asking about family, friends and coworkers who were still inside.

“I was in the Creative Arts building and there were police tearing through trash cans and searching bathrooms, and they told me to get out,” Matt Wood, a 25-year-old economics major, said. “I walked into the Science building and there were fire alarms going off and they told me there was a bomb threat so I got out.”

At 4:33 p.m. police officers and bomb sniffing dogs gathered outside Conlan Hall’s parking lot and announced that all three buildings were safe to enter.