Campus Alert Archive
Keiser WPB

Keiser University Locked Down as FBI Hunts Loomis Sledgehammer Robber Fleeing Through Campus

FLpolice activityemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of February 13, 2018, a suspect stole more than $250,000 from a Loomis armored car driver after attacking him with a sledgehammer in the Mangonia Business Park near Keiser University's West Palm Beach campus. As FBI agents and Palm Beach County deputies searched the surrounding area for the fleeing suspect, Keiser University was placed on a brief precautionary lockdown. The lockdown was lifted shortly before 11:00 AM EST after the immediate perimeter search was completed.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Keiser University - West Palm Beach
For Profit · FL
~2,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction180 chars
Keiser University is on lockdown due to law enforcement activity in the area. Please remain in your classrooms or offices and do not leave the building. Await further instructions.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from local news coverage; no official Keiser University alert archive is publicly accessible for this incident.
The lockdown was initiated as a precautionary measure while law enforcement searched for a suspect who fled through the area near the university on February 13, 2018.
The incident occurred in West Palm Beach, Florida (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-5 in February).
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction160 chars
The lockdown at Keiser University has been lifted. Law enforcement activity in the surrounding area is ongoing. Students and staff may resume normal operations.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from CBS12 reporting that the lockdown was lifted shortly before 11:00 AM EST on February 13, 2018.
While the campus lockdown was lifted, law enforcement continued searching the surrounding area for the suspect.
Context

Background

Keiser University, a Florida-based for-profit university system with its flagship campus in West Palm Beach, was caught in the perimeter of a major armed robbery investigation on February 13, 2018. That morning, a suspect attacked a Loomis armored car driver making a delivery at the Mangonia Business Park near the intersection of 45th Street and Australian Avenue, striking him from behind with a sledgehammer and stealing more than $250,000. The suspect fled in a black Toyota Tundra pickup truck. As Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies, PBSO, and FBI agents converged on the area to search for the fleeing suspect, Keiser University was placed on precautionary lockdown. A witness had called 911 after seeing a suspicious man racing through nearby yards and jumping fences. The lockdown was lifted shortly before 11:00 AM after the immediate search was complete. The incident was connected to a larger federal investigation: on February 20, 2018, authorities arrested Daryl Canady, Alger Lee Ellison, and Martiavious Leon Williams, three men accused in a two-year plot to steal $4 million from Loomis trucks and murder two guards. This case illustrates how for-profit campuses embedded in commercial business parks can be drawn into law enforcement operations that have nothing to do with campus activities.
Analysis

Key Findings

A for-profit university campus in a commercial business park was locked down as collateral fallout from an armed robbery, not due to any campus-related threat
The FBI and PBSO perimeter response to the Loomis theft prompted the precautionary lockdown, which was lifted in under two hours
The robbery was part of a documented two-year criminal conspiracy; three suspects were arrested one week after the campus lockdown
Keiser's West Palm Beach campus location adjacent to commercial and light-industrial properties created a unique vulnerability to off-campus law enforcement activity
Outcome
No campus injuries. Suspect fled the scene in a black Toyota Tundra. Lockdown lifted before 11:00 AM. Three suspects were ultimately arrested in connection with a broader two-year scheme to steal from armored cars.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Report: Loomis thief escapes with $250K, prompts lockdown - CBS12
    cbs12.com
  2. News
    Keiser University in West Palm Beach locked down as officers search for suspects - WPTV
    wptv.com
  3. News
    Armored car driver attacked with a sledgehammer, thousands stolen - CBS12
    cbs12.com
Tags
police-activitylockdownfor-profitarmed-robberyfbikeiserwest-palm-beachfloridaarmored-caroff-campus-incident
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion