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The Mesa Community College campus located near Southern Avenue and Dobson Road was locked down Thursday afternoon after a man involved in a collision nearby was said to be on foot in the area near the U.S. 60 and Dobson Road.
Mesa Community College lifted the lockdown around 4:30 p.m. Mesa police said the lockdown was initiated briefly “out of an abundance of caution.”
Banner Health confirmed to the Arizona Republic that Banner Desert Medical Center was not locked down, despite initial reports that it was.
Mesa police later clarified the hospital was notified, and their security team took appropriate precautions. Both MCC and Banner Desert have returned to normal operations.
According to Mesa police, an altercation occurred between a man and a woman at a separate location in the area.
Mesa police said the initial investigation suggested the individuals involved knew each other and that domestic violence may have been a factor in the situation.
The woman left the area with a different man in a vehicle, according to Mesa police. The man involved in the earlier altercation chased the vehicle onto the U.S. 60 at a high rate of speed.
Mesa police said the vehicles collided as both attempted to exit westbound at Dobson Road. Witnesses told police the man driving alone exited his vehicle and assaulted the other man and woman before leaving the scene.
According to Mesa police, Dobson Road was closed only at the U.S. 60 eastbound turn lanes, as of Thursday afternoon. The U.S. 60 off-ramp reopened shortly before MCC.
It is unclear whether the man who took off on foot has been found. Mesa police said the investigation is ongoing.
