Lone Star College evacuates University Park and Creekside campuses after bomb threats

Lone Star College ordered full evacuations at its University Park and Creekside campuses Friday morning after threatening calls prompted emergency alerts and searches of both complexes. The college told students and staff to leave buildings immediately and to await further instructions, and classes at both campuses were canceled for the rest of the day.

The college posted an alert on its website and campus police circulated the same message on social channels, directing people to “Calmly evacuate and move away from your building. Await further instructions. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” After the evacuations, bomb-detection canine teams were deployed to search the facilities and cleared the buildings, and officials reported an all-clear after searches concluded. The FBI is working to identify the caller.

In an emailed statement, Lone Star College said: “Lone Star College System received a report of a bomb threat to the LSC-University Park complex via a telephone call. We evacuated the entire complex. We received a second report of a bomb threat at our LSC-Creekside location. We evacuated that location as well. Note that both the University Park and Creekside threats came through the iSchools located at these complexes. The iSchools are K-12 schools that lease space from Lone Star College. Bomb dogs were able to clear the buildings. The FBI is still working on identifying the caller. We will provide updates once we have them.”

The threats were routed through the iSchools that lease K-12 classroom space inside the Lone Star College complexes, the college said, meaning children, parents and college students shared disruption and concern during the morning evacuations. Campus police issued the alert quickly to help managers, faculty and families get people to safe locations and to prevent congestion in emergency routes.

For Harris County residents, the immediate impacts were practical: canceled classes and disrupted schedules for college students and K-12 families, delayed commutes for faculty and staff, and a temporary surge in local traffic and footfall around alternate pickup points. Local businesses near University Park and Creekside likely faced short-term revenue interruptions tied to the closures and reduced campus foot traffic.

Beyond the day itself, the incident underscores operational and budget implications for the college and for school districts that share space. Repeated threats or the need for sustained heightened security can increase costs for canine teams, patrols and communications infrastructure, and may prompt Lone Star College and the iSchools to review telephonic screening, guest policies and coordination with federal and local law enforcement.

Officials said the FBI is assisting in identifying the caller and the college promised updates. For now, campus police and Lone Star College are the points of contact for families and students, and the college has canceled classes for the day while investigations continue. What comes next is further clarity about the caller and any steps the college and K-12 partners will take to strengthen on-site screening and communication to reduce disruption for students and the wider Harris County community.