by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
A toy airplane caused a bomb scare at Johnson Center on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. after it crashed through a window on the roof and into a yoga class, said Lt. Pat Davis, UNM Police
spokesman.
"A person was flying a battery-powered model airplane outside of Johnson Center," Davis said. "The plane got away from him in the wind and crashed through a plate glass window."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Witnesses reported an explosion and smoldering electronic equipment, prompting UNM Police to call in the Albuquerque Police Department's bomb squad, he said.
Johnson Center was closed until about 3 p.m., while officers and K-9 units checked the building for explosives.
One student sustained a minor scratch on her head, likely from broken glass that fell from the shattered window, Davis said.
Davis said witnesses' reports and officers' evaluations of the scene suggested it could have been an explosive device, which is why the bomb squad was called.
"The smoldering electronic components were consistent with what reporters thought were an explosion," he said.
Student Gina Garcia said she was in a hallway when she was told to leave the building.
"A bunch of women in a yoga class said someone threw something through a window, and it startled them," she said. "They left immediately."
Student Joshua Martinez said he was in the locker room when Johnson Center was evacuated.
"Guys were going through telling everyone to evacuate," he said. "They said it was ordered by the cops."
Martinez said it wasn't clear why the building was being evacuated.
"I thought it was just a drill - that someone pulled the fire alarm or something," he said. "Everyone was confused and going everywhere. No one was in a hurry to get out."
Davis said UNM Police did not overreact to the situation because the officers aren't trained to handle explosives.
It's better to be safe than sorry, Davis said.
"We're always going to err on the side of caution," he said. "We never want to be accused of not responding appropriately enough."
