A man armed with a gun was arrested on the Palomar College campus in San Diego's North County Tuesday, officials confirmed.
Deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department were called to the campus at around 6:30 a.m. after a man called authorities to report that he was armed with a gun at the community college located at 1140 W. Mission Road in San Marcos.
Deputies arrived at the scene quickly and began scouring the campus in search of the suspect. At 7:15 a.m., officials confirmed there was no immediate danger to residents living near the campus.
Due to the winter holiday, the college campus is shut down for break and there were no classes in session at the time of the incident. School employees are also on break, according to a staffer who spoke with NBC 7.
At around 7:20 a.m., officials took the armed suspect into custody on the west end of campus, near one of the buildings. Officials confirmed the 23-year-old man was, in fact, armed with a loaded handgun.
According to officials, when the man initially called authorities, he provided dispatchers with a description of his clothing and a specific location on where they could find him on campus.
The suspect told authorities his cousin had allegedly been shot by an unknown man. He then told authorities he was planning on getting into a shootout with deputies, officials said.
The suspect said he was driving to the Palomar College campus armed with a .22-caliber handgun.
Deputies from the San Marcos, Vista and Fallbrook substations responded to the scene, as well as SWAT officials. Officials set up a perimeter around the campus and began their search for the suspect on the ground while the sheriff’s department ASTREA helicopter scoured the scene overhead.
Officials said the suspect's car was discovered on campus and the suspect was located and arrested shortly thereafter.
Deputies remained on scene searching for possible victims but determined no one was injured in the incident. Officials confirmed no one but the suspect was on campus, as the college is closed for the holidays.
Sgt. Paul Michalke said officials have not yet determined whether this will be handled as a criminal case or as a mental health-related issue.
Officials said there has been no confirmation that the suspect's cousin was actually shot or injured.
NBC 7 searched court records and it does not appear the suspect has any type of criminal record. Check back for updates on this developing story.
