Man with BB gun triggers alert, evacuations at University of Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. — The University of Central Florida campus is back to normal Saturday after an alert that scared many students and parents late Friday night.

UCF police told people at the Tower 1 dorm to “shelter in place” after reports of someone with a gun.

Police searched the area and found someone with a BB gun that looked like a real firearm.

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Officers with UCF police and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to the situation that caused chaos on campus.

UCF police said they received a phone call just before 11:30 p.m. about someone entering the building with a gun. UCF students were evacuated from the Tower 1 building as a precaution, police said.

An alert sent out by UCF urged students to stay away from doors and windows but never got into details about exactly was happening.

The alert caused confusion among students and parents until UCF police later said they were searching parts of the building in Tower 1, after an eyewitness reported seeing a man enter the building with a gun.

Officers said they found that man, who had a BB gun. Those aren't allowed on campus.

UCF police explained how his team could have handled things differently.

"It really was not the appropriate way to push that out," said UCF police Chief Carl Metzger. "We should have been much more specific in how we pushed out that alert, and this is one of those times where we own it."

Police haven't released the ID of the man and said he won't face criminal charges.

A message from @UCFChiefMetzger about tonight’s incident at Tower 1.

A reminder that no call is too small for UCFPD to care about. If you see something, say something. pic.twitter.com/8AgHrZlhit
— UCF Police Dept. (@UCFPolice) July 27, 2019

This is a picture of the BB gun that led to the report at Tower 1.

We're grateful for the Knight who saw something and said something, and we're happy the situation was peacefully resolved. pic.twitter.com/avJBJYFTKD
— UCF Police Dept. (@UCFPolice) July 27, 2019

We are happy that this situation was resolved peacefully. We’ll learn from it, and we’ll do better.

Stay safe, Knights. https://t.co/fnd6hDrqU0
— UCF Police Dept. (@UCFPolice) July 27, 2019

Our response to Tower 1 is active and ongoing.

We understand our Knights are eager for updates, and we'll provide new information as soon as we have it. For now, please continue to avoid the Tower 1 area.

All other campus operations are normal. There is no threat to campus. https://t.co/3wudw8Goq7
— UCF Police Dept. (@UCFPolice) July 27, 2019

#UCFAlert: We received a call about a person with a firearm in his waistband entering Tower 1. We are working to make contact with the individual.

Please avoid the area for now as we work this situation. All other campus operations are normal.
— UCF Police Dept. (@UCFPolice) July 27, 2019