A male Lehigh student was apprehended by LUPD at Farrington Square, allegedly threatening officers, shortly after noon Monday. The man was armed with a knife and loaded gun.
Update: Court documents show that Graduate Student Nile Hardy was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and harassment. Hardy has not yet been arraigned on the charges, according to authorities.
According to a Monday Lehigh Hawkwatch Alert at 12:59 p.m., the student has been taken into custody and is “being transferred to a local health care facility for a psychiatric evaluation, and who will be facing criminal charges related to this incident.”
The alert said another Lehigh student had reported concern about the behavior of the apprehended individual. LUPD officers were headed to the apprehended student’s residence when the disturbance occurred in Farrington Square.
Chief Jason Schiffer said the situation is under investigation.
Schiffer said “this incident—as frightening and unsettling it was—was not an active shooter situation,” in an email addressed to students, faculty and staff. He said LUPD was unaware that the student had possession of weapons, but no one was injured, and the situation was contained.
Witnesses Olivia Weldon, ‘23, and Anneke Roy, ‘21, said the suspect approached the window next to where they were sitting in Saxbys Coffee. He repeatedly yelled things at them that they couldn’t understand.
They said he had been walking around near Saxbys and saw him go up to an occupied car and start yelling at a man in the car.
LUPD would normally send out “HawkWatch text messages, push notifications, desktop computer takeovers, digital information boards, voice mails, emails and classroom announcement systems” only when there is an imminent threat present because “overuse of our emergency communication systems could diminish their impact in truly critical situations,” Schiffer said in the email.
There are resources available for procedures and recommended actions in the event of an active shooter situation, including a video designed for college campuses, which Schiffer strongly encouraged the community in the email to watch.
Lehigh’s policy on guns on campus is a strict prohibition of possession or use.
This is a developing story, please check back for more updates. Any person with information is encouraged to contact the LUPD at 610-758-4200.
1 Comment
Great job by the University Police, and a huge thank you to the student who reported this.
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