MSJC

He Brandished a Gun in the Cafeteria, Then Fled All the Way to LAX

Wednesday, November 6, 2019CAarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence

Confirmed Threat

On the morning of November 6, 2019, a man entered the cafeteria at Mt. San Jacinto College's San Jacinto campus, brandished a handgun and threatened to shoot students before leaving without firing. The report at about 9:27 a.m. prompted a lockdown of MSJC and nearby schools. The suspect, 26-year-old Gregory Abejon of San Jacinto, was taken into custody hours later at Los Angeles International Airport as he tried to check in for a flight. No one was injured.

Alerts: 2
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

Mt. San Jacinto College

Community College · CA

~21,000 studentsMSJC Alert

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 ALERTSMSNov 6, 2019, 5:32 PM PST

Approximate reconstruction203 chars

MSJC Alert: Lockdown in effect at the San Jacinto Campus due to report of a person with a gun. Shelter in place, lock doors, stay away from windows. Call 911 with information. Await further instructions.

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

KTLA reported the report came in around 9:27 a.m. and triggered a campus lockdown; the exact MSJC Alert wording was not published, so this text is a reconstruction and isVerbatimConfirmed is false.

The lockdown was issued as an immediate-threat emergency notification because an armed person had reportedly threatened students on campus.

ALL CLEARSMSNov 6, 2019, 8:30 PM PST+2h 58m

Approximate reconstruction155 chars

MSJC Alert: All clear. The suspect has been located off campus and there is no longer a threat. The lockdown has been lifted. Normal operations may resume.

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

Valley News and KTLA reported the suspect was detained at LAX later the same day; the lockdown was lifted once the threat left the area, but the exact all-clear text was not published, so this is a reconstruction.

This message explicitly lifts the lockdown, making it a true all-clear rather than an interim update.

Context

Background

Mt. San Jacinto College is a community college in Riverside County with campuses in San Jacinto, Menifee, and elsewhere. On November 6, 2019, witnesses reported that Gregory Abejon, a 26-year-old San Jacinto resident, walked into the cafeteria, brandished a handgun, and threatened to shoot nearby students before leaving campus without firing. The report around 9:27 a.m. prompted a lockdown of the San Jacinto campus and nearby schools. Valley News reported the suspect was taken into custody hours later at Los Angeles International Airport, where he was attempting to check in for a flight in an apparent effort to flee the country. The case illustrates the emergency-notification challenge for multi-campus community colleges when an armed suspect leaves the scene before law enforcement arrives, requiring a lockdown to remain in place until the threat is confirmed to be elsewhere.

Analysis

Key Findings

MSJC issued a lockdown emergency notification within minutes of a roughly 9:27 a.m. report of an armed man threatening students in the cafeteria

The suspect fled campus without firing and was detained the same day at LAX, demonstrating how a threat can rapidly leave the immediate area

Nearby schools were also locked down as a precaution given the uncertainty of the armed suspect's location

No verbatim MSJC Alert text was published, so both alert texts are honest reconstructions based on local-media reporting

Outcome

The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Gregory Abejon, left campus without firing a shot and was detained hours later at LAX while trying to board a flight. No injuries were reported.

Provenance

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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