San Diego Islamic Center lockdown lifted after alert over possibly armed woman

A lockdown at the Islamic Center of San Diego has been lifted after police searched for a possibly armed woman who visited the mosque, according to police and local media. Officers determined she was no longer in San Diego County.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) announced the lockdown at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, saying officers were at the center “out of an abundance of caution.” People were told to avoid the area.

The response followed reports about a woman whom Carlsbad officers saw driving erratically at about 1:50 p.m., KFMB reported, citing San Diego police. Her family also called authorities, saying she had made suicidal statements, might be armed and could be heading to the Islamic Center.

Police said the woman arrived at the mosque, spoke with a security guard and left before officers arrived. Officers then spoke with people at the center, and its school was placed on lockdown, according to KFMB.

KGTV reported that a threat led the center’s senior leadership to order the lockdown and notify parents whose children attend the school. Police, however, told KFMB that the woman never made a direct threat against the Islamic Center or any other mosque.

At 4:10 p.m., SDPD issued a public alert for a gray 2015 Toyota 4Runner with New York license plate KGN3027. The department confirmed that the vehicle alert was connected to the lockdown and told anyone who located it not to approach and to call 911.

Officers also went to other mosques and Islamic centers throughout San Diego, KFMB reported. The station said the lockdown was lifted after police established that the woman had left the county.

The Islamic Center was attacked on May 18, when two teenage gunmen killed a security guard and two other men before fleeing and killing themselves. Police determined the shooting was a hate crime and said writings found in the gunmen’s vehicle expressed hatred toward various religions and races.