A lockdown was ordered and classes were canceled Wednesday afternoon at College of the Canyons' Valencia campus after someone reported seeing a woman with a rifle entering the campus, but the rifle turned out to be a branch from a tree, authorities said.
Deputies were sent about 4:40 p.m. to the campus in the 26400 block of Rockwell Canyon Road to investigate, according to the Sheriff's Information Bureau.
The college tweeted about 5:15 p.m. that the campus had been locked down and advised people to shelter in place.
Another tweet 10 minutes later added: "Stay off campus if you are not already here."
Only one report of a possible woman with a rifle was received, according to the sheriff's department, which reported that deputies were conducting safety checks of campus buildings.
Rockwell Canyon Road was closed near the campus due to the investigation, the sheriff's department reported.
College of the Canyons deputies were still on campus conducting safety checks, and about 200 staff and 2,000 students were on lockdown as of 6:07 p.m., according to the LA County Sheriff's Department Santa Clarita Valley station.
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The College of the Canyons announced that the lockdown had been lifted as of 6:42 p.m.
At 8:04 p.m., the sheriff's official social media account announced that an individual reported a woman getting a rifle out of a tree going on campus. Though investigation, it was determined that the woman took branches from a tree, SCV Sheriff stated online.
