While there turned out to be no threat, it was an intense scene at LSU’s campus Tuesday afternoon following police receiving a report of an armed intruder at Coates Hall. Just before 3pm the school sent out an alert telling students in the area to Run, Hide, or Fight. Professor Barry Keim was in front of Coates Hall and saw the cops rapidly responding.
“The wheels are squealing around turns. They were in a big hurry to get over there, getting out of their police cars with rifles cocked, loaded, ready to go, and they were running into Coates Hall,” said Keim.
Keim says it was clear something serious was going on and people in his building near Coates Hall did not take the situation lightly.
“People were basically hiding out in their offices on lockdown and it was pretty eerie. I was afraid I was going to be mistaken for the perpetrator as I was the only one in the hallways walking around,” said Keim.
Just before 5pm, another alert was sent, giving the all-clear. Keim says during the time of the investigation, everyone was on heightened alert for gunfire.
“Never heard anything about shots being fired and certainly didn’t hear any shots being fired but definitely an eerie scene and those police were definitely in a big hurry to get over there, so something obviously went down,” said Keim.
Director of Media Relations Ernie Ballard says they believe one possibility was that a plainclothes officer with a gun on his belt was walking around the building just before the call came in, but that has yet to be confirmed as the reason for the call.
