Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu police said in a statement that the suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest. He remains in custody and faces charges including threats. He is expected to appear in court on Saturday. Police also initially said a girl under the age of 18 was arrested, but later in the afternoon, a spokesman clarified that she had been taken in for questioning and was “not involved” in the incident. No one was injured, according to police. A pregnant woman was taken to the hospital as a precaution. A lockdown was ordered at Cegep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, located about 40 kilometers south of Montreal, early Friday. Authorities were called about a man “behaving suspiciously” around 9 a.m., police said. Story continues below ad The junior college told students and staff to barricade themselves in closed rooms and keep lights off, saying the orders came at the request of police.

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Nathalie Beaudoin, principal of the college, says parents, students and others have been asked to stay away from the school. All activities were canceled for the day. After the man was arrested, police began a controlled evacuation of the school shortly after noon. It took several hours to escort more than a thousand people from the cegep. Alejandra Montequin was one of the last students allowed to leave the school. The teachers kept them calm when they were told to take refuge in their seats. She said she texted her dad “I love you” because she was afraid something bad would happen. “We were scared. At first we were very scared,” he said. “It was very tense, people were talking to their parents. It was sad.” Her father Alejandro Montequin held back tears when talking about the situation. He said as soon as his daughter texted him, he left work and headed to school. Current trend

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“All that was going through our heads,” he said. Story continues below ad “It was a very difficult day.” Students and staff were asked to wait for police to arrive in each classroom and follow their directions to leave. At 4 p.m., Chegep confirmed that the evacuation was over and that anyone still in the school could leave in an orderly manner and take their personal belongings. “Thank you for your patience and strength in this very difficult situation,” the message read. Police say the operation officially ended at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and that multiple police forces were involved in assisting throughout the day. Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel issued a message on social media, saying he was relieved and thanked police for their work. “We will await the results of the police investigation to fully understand what happened,” he wrote. The students of Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu experienced a difficult situation today. I am relieved at the turn of events. We will await the results of the police investigation to fully understand what happened. I would like to commend the work of the police. — François Bonnardel (@fbonnardelCAQ) November 11, 2022 Story continues below ad

“A sensational way to wake up”

Becky McKnight, an English teacher at the cegep, told Global News that she was supposed to be there in the afternoon when she got the message about the lockdown. “It was a shocking way to wake up,” he said. Jessie McKnight Lewandowski, a sophomore and McKnight’s daughter, was in the car with her friend on the way to school when they saw three police cars heading toward the cegep. They were wondering what was going on when the school issued an online announcement about the situation.

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When she arrived, a police officer could only tell her that the school was on an indefinite lockdown. “At first I was mostly worried about the people I knew at cegep,” he said. “It was stressful talking to my friends at cegep, also with the rumors you’re not sure what to believe. It was mostly confusion and anxiety, I would say.” She said she was glad the situation appeared to be under control and that her friends “slowly but steadily” left throughout the afternoon. Story continues below ad — with files from Karol Dahl of Global News, Gloria Henriquez and The Canadian Press © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.