A lockdown that was issued at Arkansas State University has been lifted after an armed man who drove onto the campus with propane tanks prompting the lockdown was arrested, local media and police report.
The incident began early Thursday afternoon when the school sent an alert reporting an active shooter on campus, urging all students, faculty and staff to evacuate the student union, according to CBS Memphis affiliate WREG-TV.
Police later clarified, saying that an armed man was on campus but hadn't fired any shots. The school's director of communications later confirmed this, saying that the suspect hadn't fired any shots and no injuries have been reported.
The man drove to the middle of campus in a green pickup truck with propane tanks in the back that were "ready to blow." He had a shotgun strapped to his back but failed to make any notable actions since police surrounded him within 30 minutes, according to the Jonesboro Sun.
Police then took the suspect into custody and lifted the lockdown for all parts of the school except for the east side of the student union where the truck was parked.
The east side of the student union remains on lockdown. All other buildings have been released. Campus is closed for the rest of the day.
— Arkansas State (@ArkansasState) December 10, 2015
Jonesboro Police spokesman Paul Holmes said bomb squad technicians were going to examine the truck. He also said that a negotiator was sent to talk to the man, though it's unclear what discussions, if any, had taken place, reported the New York Post.
Arkansas state law allows concealed-carry permit holders to keep a gun in the trunk of a car parked on campus, but they are forbidden to carry a gun out in the open. On the other hand, Arkansas State University policy restricts students from having guns on campus.
As the investigation goes forward, police are trying to discover what prompted the man, later identified as 47-year-old Brad Kenneth Bartelt, and what his goal was.
