CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A National City man is being questioned after allegedly threatening to shoot a professor and harm the campus at Southwestern College.

National City police said 22-year-old student Oscar Torres is the man behind the alleged threats. They initially arrested him for an unrelated mental health matter in National City on August 31, and police said he made the threats while in the custody of county mental health, who then alerted police.

Students and faculty received an e-mail Wednesday evening alerting them of the situation that said the school is "actively working to address a credible threat to the District. Southwestern College police and Student Affairs personnel have taken immediate action to protect the safety of our students, faculty, and staff."

The e-mail went on to say that "privacy regulations" prohibited from discussing the details of the case.

Many students told 10News they were confused because the e-mail said if they had any questions, they could call the chief of police or the chief of communications. 10News called the number but found that the number had been disconnected.

"Some more information would be nice," said student Autumn Clark. "If there's a problem, we should know about it, especially if it concerns our safety: is someone mugging people, are cars getting broken into, will I get stabbed when I walk out of class?"

"I was really confused. I didn't really know what to think," said student Heidi Schouten.

"My parents are kind of concerned about it. They’re worried. They want me to [give] them a heads up on what’s going on," added student Liz Lucas.

"The fact that someone called in a threat to the community college, I guess, is surprising to start with," said student Eric Tellez. "It's shocking that there wasn't anyone going around saying there was a threat to students or faculty on campus."

McKenzie Clark told 10News, "I would have really liked to know what was going on, especially if it's a safety issue."

A school representative confirmed Torres has not returned to campus and remains at San Diego County Mental Health.

On Wednesday morning, faculty members passed out fliers that alerted students of all the developments. The information will also be passed out in every classroom.

"We are doing everything we can to keep people safe and the processes that are necessary to keep them safe," said Chris Bender, spokesman for Southwestern College. "They should feel comfortable coming to campus, going to class, [and] getting the student services that they need.

Bender said they initially had to be vague because it involved a health matter. By law, they cannot release certain information.

The Southwestern Community College District said it is filing a restraining order to prevent Torres from entering any school property, according to a release sent by campus police.

Those with questions or concerns are being directed to call 619-482-6564 or visit http://www.swccd.edu/2ndLevel/index.asp?L1=97.

Below is the e-mail that was sent to students Thursday morning, 8:53 a.m.

College Community,

We want to provide a more detailed update about the safety threat we reported last night - and the District's immediate response.

First and foremost, students, faculty and staff should feel comfortable returning to campus, attending classes and seeking the services they need. We are doing everything we can to keep the college community safe.

The District received information that a student threatened to shoot a faculty member. The student also threatened the college community. The student was not on campus at the time the information was received and has not returned to campus.

Once the District received this information, it began immediate action to prohibit the student from returning to all college facilities. The affected faculty member has been advised of all available options.

As always, we encourage you to report any suspicious activity to the Southwestern College Police at (619) 482-6380 or visit the College's emergency information page at http://www.swccd.edu/2ndLevel/index.asp?L1=97. If you have further questions, please contact Chris Bender, Chief of Communications, Community and Governmental Relations at (619) 482-6564.

The College will provide new information as it becomes available.

Brent Chartier, Chief of Police
Angelica L. Suarez, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs