False bomb threats at UT Arlington and Texas State prompt evacuations of student housing
Update: The bomb threats that led UT Arlington police to evacuate multiple buildings Monday night have been found to be false, according to a news release from the university. The all-clear was given around 8:30 p.m.
Earlier Monday night, about 230 miles south of Arlington at Texas State University in San Marcos, a campus alert was tweeted and that “out of an abundance of caution” five buildings were being evacuated because of an “unsubstantiated bomb threat.”
At 7:23 p.m. Texas State issued another message, saying the threat on their campus was unfounded and all buildings were reopened.
Back in Arlington, a “Mavs Alert” post on social media at 6:14 p.m. from campus police ordered an evacuation of the Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall and Arbor Oaks buildings while they were “investigating multiple bomb threats on campus.”
All of the buildings are student housing.
Students evacuated from the buildings were sent to the Maverick Activities Center while waiting for permission to return to their dorms or apartments, according to campus police. The rest of the campus was allowed to continue normal operations.
Police did not say how they received the bomb threats or how credible they believed the threats to be. Campus police are investigating.
Jeff Carlton, a spokesperson for UT Arlington, said in an emailed statement that police are still investigating and working with Arlington Fire and Rescue.
This story was originally published January 29, 2024 at 6:28 PM.