WASHINGTON — An armed robbery that involved at least one gunshot prompted an alert and a shelter-in-place order at the Catholic University of America in Northeast D.C. early Wednesday morning.
Through social media, email messages and texts, the university told students to seek shelter because police were in the area trying to locate someone who had a gun.
“This is not a drill,” stated one alert that was posted on Twitter.
The commotion was caused by two armed robbery suspects who police said robbed someone in a driveway along New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland, around 2 a.m.
One victim, a man, became involved in a struggle with the suspects and was shot in the leg, according to Montgomery County police.
He is expected to recover.
“We feel fortunate, said Montgomery County Police Capt. Paul Starks. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Officers said the suspects were able to steal some property during the altercation, although it was not immediately clear what that property was.
According to D.C. police, following the shooting, the suspects drove a black Nissan Sentra into the District. They ultimately crashed the car at the Taylor Street Bridge near Catholic University.
“One suspect was apprehended by MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) and a weapon was recovered at the scene,” D.C. police said in a statement. “The second suspect was last seen running on foot in the wooded area on the perimeter of campus.”
For about an hour during the search for the suspect, students and everyone else on campus were told to stay indoors.
“If you are outside, seek shelter inside a building, do not remain outside,” stated another Twitter message. “All members of the community are instructed to continue to shelter in place.”
Although police were not able to track the suspect down, they eventually determined that the campus was safe.
The university’s Department of Public Safety said it would continue to monitor the campus.
