After a threat was called in on Jan. 15, Citrus College was under one of the longest lockdowns reported in the last five years, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Meanwhile inside the Student Services building, two Citrus students, Star Smith and Yara Roummani came face to face with the difficulties demanded during such a tenuous situation.
The two friends shared a Cardio Training class that ended at 9:20 a.m. and instead of leaving school straight after class, Smith and Roummani decided to handle personal schooling tasks in Student Services.
Smith was applying for graduation and Roummani was making sure her financial aid was in order; to them it seemed like the day would be carrying on as usual.
At about 11:30 a.m., staff in SS realized a legitimate lockdown was occurring, Smith and Roummani were rushed into a small orientation room they say had no school staff.
They did not realize they were alone with other students until they tried asking someone who they thought were staff for any updates on the lockdown.
“Nobody in that room other than me, Yara, and one other person actually attended school here. Everyone else was trying to apply to attend school here. They had no idea what was going on at all,” Smith said.
“There was this older gentleman, he had a crutch, and he was crying because his orientation was going like ‘s—,’” said Roummani.
Smith and Roummani said they tried consoling him but he could not understand English well.
After about two and a half hours, the uncertainty of their situation began to take its toll, and Smith had to pee.
The two friends started to get antsy about their situation after being told to pee in a trashcan by Campus Safety.
The bathroom was just across the hall and having no other information to operate off of besides what was circulated on social media at the time, the two took a risk and ran to the bathrooms.
A trash can barricaded the door, and inside Smith says about five female students had hid in a stall, “And they’re like ‘Oh my god, is it
over?’’ said Smith. “And we were like no! We just have to pee!” said Roummani.
Dr. Marianne Smith, the director for the Institute of Completion saw the two run into the bathroom, and taking charge for their safety, coaxed them to come into the Institute for Completion center she was barricaded in.
The girls hiding in the stall followed them into the center.
“I remember her name because she was just, ridiculously nice,” Roummani said.
As they entered the center, there were other faces in the small crowd that had hid there.
There was also a tall young man with his back to the wall, and the two friends said he seemed nervous and uneasy.
According to Smith and Roummani, at one point the young man even urged them to take a seat as they were making him uncomfortable.
Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, Terrell Lee Bennett, the student that had called in the threat had cloistered himself in the center after calling in the threat and putting Citrus into lockdown.
The two friends had unknowingly put themselves in harm’s way by failing to follow the procedures set in place.
Another hour and a half dragged on and the only thing on their mind was getting out of Student Services.
An anxious Smith eventually ran to the bathroom again where Roummani attempted to console her.
They were no longer interested in the protocol that Campus Safety and responders were following and demanding for lockdown requirements.
Dr. Smith followed behind them to try and get them to calm down, which the students said was to no avail.
Smith ran out of the side of the SS building near the stairwell on the east side, dodging responders and showed up panicked at the Foothill 188 bus stop on Citrus Avenue.
Roummani followed shortly behind, acting out in panic. “Once it hit 3 o’clock, I had a sister to pick up, I had no food in my system. Anxiety is just building up, you know the energy in the room started changing.” said Roummani, “It was getting bad.”
“I was getting to the point where I could no longer control my own actions and my own feelings,” said Smith.
Though Smith and Roummani exited the building without any personal harm, procedures during a lockdown should always be followed.
During a forum about the lockdown, Superintendent/President Geraldine M. Perri stressed the importance of following instructions during a lockdown.
