Law enforcement authorities identified that the individual responsible for the lockdown of the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus was a juvenile carrying an airsoft replica firearm.
The suspect, who was not publicly named due to his age, was seen creeping around the college campus brandishing a mock firearm. The individual was seen holding the object as if he were preparing to start a school shooting at the campus.
Juvenile Carrying Replica Firearm
After the suspect was sighted, the Lowell Police Department received reports of a person possibly armed with a gun shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. That was the first day of classes for undergraduate students.
All of the campus' classes and events were immediately cancelled for the rest of the day as officials, including law enforcement officers and FBI agents, walked through the area to search for the reported threat. They also dispatched a drone, K9 units, and a police air unit, according to the New York Post.
The lockdown of UMass Lowell was later lifted more than two hours after the threat was reported, as authorities were able to determine that the individual was no longer in the vicinity. During the entire ordeal, not one shot was fired.
The investigation into the incident continued on Thursday when Lowell police were able to recover the replica weapon from a juvenile male. Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon said in a statement that the department still utilized all available resources until the safety of all residents was assured, despite the firearm being a replica weapon.
Despite the individual being taken into custody on Thursday, it was not immediately clear if he is facing criminal charges over the incident. Video footage of the individual showed him walking behind a residential building while aiming his replica firearm, Boston reported.
Full Tactical Gear
There was a similar incident when police officers tackled a teenager dressed in tactical clothing with a "handgun" while he was walking near thousands of football fans in London, England. Authorities responded to the incident after a member of the public called 999 and said they saw a guy walking out the front of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in full tactical gear.
The footage showed how unarmed officers ran towards the teenager and told him to get on the floor before they forcibly took the firearm, which was later determined to be an imitation handgun.
The 16-year-old told law enforcement officers that he was dressed in costume while on his way to a comic convention, as per BBC.
