Harvard University students were ordered to shelter in place Tuesday morning as police searched the Cambridge campus for a person reportedly armed with a knife or machete following an aggravated assault.
The emergency unfolded just one day before Harvard’s fall term was scheduled to begin, with many students already back on campus preparing for the new academic year.
The unidentified person was reportedly involved in an aggravated assault and battery Tuesday morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to the Daily Mail, citing Patch.
Harvard University Police, Cambridge Police and Massachusetts State Police joined the search as authorities attempted to locate the suspect.
The search initially centered around the area near JFK Park before expanding to several nearby streets.
Police were reportedly looking for the suspect near the park nearly an hour before Harvard issued its emergency alert, according to police scanner traffic cited by The Harvard Crimson.
The suspect reportedly left the park and headed toward University Road before entering a parking garage, according to the scanner traffic.
As the search intensified, officials focused their efforts around Mount Auburn and Brattle streets before moving toward Ash and Hawthorne streets at approximately 10:15 a.m.
Harvard issued its shelter-in-place warning at approximately 9:45 a.m. through MessageMe, the university’s emergency notification system.
Students and others on campus were told to remain sheltered while officers from multiple law enforcement agencies searched the surrounding area.
The order triggered a significant police response around the Ivy League campus as authorities worked to track down the person involved in the alleged assault.
The situation was resolved relatively quickly.
Within an hour of Harvard issuing the shelter-in-place order, authorities announced that the suspect had been taken into custody and lifted the emergency warning.
Officials did not immediately release the suspect’s identity or provide additional information about the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault.
It also remained unclear from the initial reports whether anyone suffered serious injuries during the incident.
The Daily Mail reported that the suspect was believed to have been carrying either a knife or machete when the aggravated assault and battery occurred.
The incident came at a particularly busy time for Harvard, with the university preparing to begin its fall term Wednesday.
Many students were already on campus Tuesday as they prepared for the start of classes, increasing the potential impact of the shelter-in-place warning.
Harvard’s emergency notification system is designed to rapidly distribute critical information to members of the university community during potentially dangerous situations, per the Daily Mail.
Tuesday’s warning remained in effect while law enforcement officers searched areas around the campus and nearby Cambridge streets.
Once authorities confirmed that the suspect was in custody, students and staff were informed that they no longer needed to shelter in place.
The incident lasted less than an hour from the time Harvard issued its emergency warning until the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
Authorities had not released additional details about the suspect, possible charges or the events leading up to the alleged assault as of the Daily Mail’s latest update Tuesday morning.
The report was published at 10:19 a.m. EDT and updated at 11:06 a.m. as information about the suspect’s capture emerged.
