University publishes report after incident on August 21

Pepperdine University released an incident report Friday detailing the arrest of two people with an air rifle, the malfunction of the Elkins Auditorium lockdown and an upcoming emergency training exercise.

The report summarized the events of August 21, when a white SUV drove onto the Malibu campus on Seaver Drive and pointed what was believed to be a gun out the window, the Graphic previously reported. During the incident, students in Elkins Auditorium attempted to lock themselves in, but the lock button did not work, the Graphic reported. Two suspects were arrested on Banowsky Boulevard by the LA County Sheriff's Department (LASD).

According to the report, Pepperdine University's Department of Public Safety received a phone call from three students who observed the suspicious vehicle and pointed what they believed to be a weapon out the window.

“Approximately one minute after receiving this information, DPS began dispatching armed and unarmed forces to search the campus for the suspect's vehicle,” the university wrote in a statement.

LASD received a tip before the vehicle entered the campus, the report states. LASD arrived at the Malibu campus within minutes and worked with DPS to locate the vehicle by searching the campus and placing patrol cars at specific locations.

The Pepperdine community received the first Everbridge message when the university was notified of the white SUV and alleged gun out the window entering Seaver Drive, the university wrote in a statement. The message urged the community to remain vigilant.

According to the statement, the Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) believed the threat was not an “active shooter.” When it comes to a situation where an active shooter is involved, Everbridge's message is “run, hide, fight.”

DPS spotted the white SUV on Banowsky Boulevard and LASD stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver and passenger. During the LASD's search of the vehicle, they found a BB gun, according to the statement.

Following the arrests, the EOC sent three follow-up messages to keep the community updated on the situation.

The report also addressed statements from students that the lock button in Elkins Auditorium was not working properly. The previous weekend, Elkins Auditorium had undergone a software update that caused the lock button to no longer work properly. The statement said that staff had verified that Elkins Auditorium could still be locked from a central location despite the software glitch. The software has now been updated to prevent a similar occurrence.

The university reiterated its commitment to the safety of the Pepperdine community.

“These incidents also demonstrate the importance of rapid response, sound judgment, and immediate and ongoing communication with the community until the situation is resolved,” the university wrote in a statement.

The Student Government Association (SGA), in coordination with DPS, the Office of Emergency Services and Student Affairs, is hosting an emergency training session on September 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Elkins.

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Contact Rachel Flynn via email: [email protected]