At around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 8, the Bellevue Police Department was called to Bellevue College to respond to an individual present on campus.
Police officers were present near the main entrance to campus off of Kelsey Creek Road. A bystander in the C building courtyard area stated that they had observed a significant number of public safety officers at the R building prior to police activity in the C building. Inside the C building, there were two public safety officers ushering students away from the café, stating that it was currently closed. A student in the C building lounge stated that there was an individual in the cafe who was refusing to leave. The person was being spoken to by police officers, public safety officers, and mental health professionals from the community crisis assistance team. The person was escorted from the cafe to the Landerholm Circle Se. roundabout where the officers and crisis team appeared to be speaking with them further. The person then threw a cardboard box of their belongings on the sidewalk and walked off in the direction of the T building, lot 8 while yelling something unintelligible.
Ross Villegas, Director of Public Safety at Bellevue College has offered a statement in regards to the events on campus today. Per Villegas, an individual who appeared to be having a mental health crisis had wandered onto campus. The Bellevue Police Department was called at around 11:30 a.m. and arrived shortly after. The BPD brought with them the community crisis assistance team, which is a team consisting of mental health professionals and BPD officers given additional training on responding to crisis situations. According to Villegas, the officers were having a difficult time communicating with the individual and the individual was displaying concerning behavior. The individual was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
The Public Safety Office would like to remind students that the Bellevue College Counseling Center offers free counseling (first 6 sessions are covered by tuition) and crisis support to all students.
