Ottawa police say one person has been arrested following a lockdown at the University of Ottawa on Friday.
Police say a man was arrested after an investigation into a suspicious person at the university.
“There are no injuries to report and there is no ongoing threat to public safety,” police wrote on X.
The University of Ottawa issued a lockdown notice at 5:18 p.m. for what it described as a violent incident, advising students to barricade themselves inside a building, stay away from doors and windows and remain silent.
In a statement at 7:10 p.m., the university indicated campus is safe.
“The situation has ended and there is no threat to safety. There were no injuries. The lockdown is lifted. Normal activities may resume,” the university wrote.
Ottawa police Insp. Brian Samuel told CTV News Ottawa that officers were informed of a suspicious person near the Rideau Centre at approximately 4:20 p.m. Police used CCTV footage to track the individual to the University of Ottawa campus and then uOttawa Station.
The man was arrested off campus on Waller Street shortly before 7 p.m.
Samuel says he is currently unable to comment on why the individual was considered suspicious as the investigation is ongoing.
“He’s been arrested. He will be brought to the station and processed, and it will be up to investigators to decide what charges to lay,” he said.
It was the university’s decision to initiate the lockdown, Samuel says.
“It was their decision to go into a lockdown mode. It caused a bit of panic amongst the students and some parents, and the incident seemed to take on a course of its own on social media,” he said.
“We located the individual very quickly and he has been arrested, and that’s the end of the incident.”
According to a statement from Jesse Robichaud, director of public affairs with the University of Ottawa, the university’s protection services communicated with police throughout the lockdown.
“The safety of students, staff and our university community is our top priority, and safety protocols are instituted responsibly with the maximum care and caution,” Robichaud wrote.
“We appreciate the vigilance, cooperation and courtesy of everyone in our university community. We thank each member of our community for doing their part to comply with the alert and to keep everyone on our campuses safe.”
Robichaud says wellness supports are available for everyone at the university.
Santiago Proteau Sanchez, a student at the University, told CTV News Ottawa that he received a notification of the lockdown.
“I think at first, people didn’t really care about the urgency of it, but I think with time passing and what we’re seeing on different social media and from friend to friend we’re taking this incident more and more seriously,” he said.
During the lockdown, OC Transpo said uOttawa Station was closed, and Line 1 trains would not stop at the station. At approximately 7:20 p.m., O.C. Transpo said the station had reopened.
Ottawa paramedics told CTV News they had not been called to the campus.
With files from CTV’s Stefan Keyes and Josh Marano.
