Thread: Tucson Air Force base locked down after security scare

Tucson Air Force base locked down after security scare

NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 9 minutes ago

TUCSON, Ariz. — Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona was temporarily locked down Friday due to a "potential security situation," but an investigation releaved no shots had been fired and no one was hurt.

A Tucson Police Department dispatcher, who did not want to reveal his name, told NBC News that they received a 911 call from someone on base reporting that shots were fired on base, and that one person may be injured.

The dispatcher told NBC News that the call originated from a person claiming to be a sergeant on the base.

Police were not able to verify that shots were actually fired.

Air Force officials told NBC News that no shots were fired and no one was injured.

The base was put on partial lockdown after there was a report of "suspicious activity," the base said.

Several emergency vehicles were earlier seen headed to the base, about five miles southeast of Tucson.

The base is adjacent to the Pima Air & Space Museum and the "boneyard" for old military and government airplanes that is a popular destination for aviation enthusiasts.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44553200/ ... -security/

Source: Man with gun holed up at Tucson air base

Posted: 11:55 AM
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
By: ABC15.com staff, wire reports

TUCSON, AZ - A military official says a man with a gun is holed up in a building at an Air Force base that was locked down several hours earlier on the outskirts of Tucson.

Tucson police Sgt. Maria Hawke confirmed that Tucson Police Department SWAT, Hostage Negotiations Unit, and Bomb Squad personnel have been staged near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as a lockdown remains in place.

"They are in the area on a 'stand-by' basis in the event that our assistance is needed, but are not actively engaged in any enforcement, investigative, or other activity," Hawke said.

Video from Air15 showed a group of armed men surrounding a building on the base. It is unclear at this time if a suspect was believed to be inside.

FBI spokesman Manuel Johnson confirmed that agents from Tucson and Phoenix are also assisting in the investigation.

Traffic into and out of the facility was being limited because of an unspecified security situation, but no one was shot or hurt, according to Tech Sgt. J. Russell Martin.

According to Martin, reports of "suspicious activity" Friday morning caused officials at the base to declare a higher state of security, but there has not been any gunfire.

The lockdown remains in effect as officials continue to investigate the situation.

According to Martin, an unconfirmed report indicated a man had been spotted Friday morning carrying something resembling a weapon, prompting the heightened security.

Ambulances were sent to the sprawling facility, sparking fears of injuries, but it was just a case of bad timing, Martin said.

"Any ambulance you saw leaving earlier, not too long ago was actually a woman going into labor," he said.

A military official said a special agent on the base reported that an armed individual walked into a building on the base, an assertion echoed by several callers to KGUN9 , who reportedly saw the person enter the Civil Engineering building.

Tucson fire spokeswoman Trish Tracy says that besides the ambulances, two fire trucks were dispatched to the base.

The base took extra precaution by locking the facility down and keeping kids inside its schools. Students were eventually released around 4:30 p.m.

Davis-Monthan is adjacent to the Pima Air & Space Museum and the "boneyard" for old military and government airplanes that is a popular destination for aviation enthusiasts.

The base is the home of the 355th Fighter Wing, and provides attack airpower, combat support and medical forces, according to the base's Facebook page.

Security at military bases has gained more attention in the last two years since an Army major went on a rampage at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009.

Investigators have foiled other plots against military bases in other parts of the country since Sept. 11.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_ce ... z1YAADTZm3