A Quebec junior college north of Montreal was under lockdown Friday afternoon as a preventive measure after police say they were called about a “possibly armed individual” on campus.
Collège Lionel-Groulx issued a statement on its Facebook page shortly before 2:30 p.m. about the situation, asking students and staff to confine to their classrooms. The administration said a “suspicious person” was seen outside the school.
“The situation is under police control and the search is ongoing,” the CEGEP wrote around 3 p.m. in an update.
The Thérèse-De Blainville police department said in a statement it received a call around 1:30 p.m. and said officers were quickly sent to the post-secondary school.
“Staff and students are currently confined, allowing the police to carry out the necessary checks,” police said. “This deployment aims to secure people and places.”
There were no injuries to report, according to police.
People were asked to avoid the area around Collège Lionel-Groulx in Sainte-Thérèse, located about 40 kilometres north of Montreal.
On Friday evening, the college announced that the lockdown was ending in a ‘progressive matter.’
“People who are confined must stay in their position until police arrive and must wait for their instructions,” a statement said.
Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said in a message on social media on Friday afternoon that he was aware of the situation and his office was closely monitoring it.