Gunman Report Forced Evacuation Of Public Health Building, Lockdown MTMC Clinic
San Andreas, CA – A report of an “active shooter” this afternoon around the Calaveras County Public Health Department forced its evacuation and the lockdown of a Mark Twain Medical Center COVID-19 vaccine clinic nearby, but in the end, the threat was determined to be “unfounded,” according to sheriff’s officials.
The information was relayed by a third party to the sheriff’s dispatch center around 12:30 p.m. The caller reported a possible gunman at the public health department offices in the 700 block of Mountain Ranch Road in San Andreas near the hospital. Within minutes sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers arrived on the scene, and immediately implemented active shooter protocols, evacuating the building while units searched it.
Clarke Broadcasting reached out to MTMC spokesperson Nikki Stevens regarding the incident, she replied via email, “There was a perceived threat called into the Public Health department earlier today. In the interest of safety of our staff and patients, our COIVD vaccine Clinic and the San Andreas Clinic did go into a brief shelter in place. The incident was resolved and cleared by the Sheriff’s Office.”
Investigators ultimately determined the report to be unfounded. They elaborated on the incident in a written press release, stating, that there was “a miscommunication regarding a recent phone call that health department staff had received from a subject. The phone call included vague threats from a person unhappy about their inability to receive the COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment. A second employee in the area heard about the threats and thought there was an active shooter on scene, which resulted in the call to law enforcement.”
No timeframe was given regarding how long the evacuation or the lockdown lasted. Sheriff’s officials stress that even though no active shooter was located “the reporting person acted appropriately by reporting what he/she believed to be a threat.”
