Faulty equipment blamed for Virginia college lockdowns

ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia Western Community College officials say faulty equipment may be to blame for two lockdowns in quick succession at the school in Roanoke.

The school said in a statement Monday that officials believe the lockdown was automatically triggered by a potentially faulty emergency pull station. Officials say the campus is safe and has returned to normal operations after an investigation by campus police.

Spokesman Josh Meyer says this semester’s classes and exams are finished. The school has nearly 13,000 students at its main campus.

The campus went into lockdown just before noon and was it lifted about a half hour later. A second lockdown triggered minutes later was cleared in 6 minutes.

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