HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A domestic incident prompted a large police presence Tuesday at Miami Dade College's Homestead campus.
Sky 10 was above the campus as people were walking out with their hands up. They were walking across the street to City Hall.
Police could be seen with their guns drawn and wearing camouflage gear. An armored police van was parked outside the campus.
Homestead police said the incident started as a domestic dispute in the parking lot. They said the college was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution.
According to authorities, the suspect is a student at the college.
"There was someone with a gun or something like that, and one of the girls got beat up and ran to the police," student Geraldine Palencia said.
Homestead and Miami-Dade police arrived to the campus just before 11 a.m. after a spokesperson with Miami Dade College said a man had hit a woman. When that woman ran to safety, the suspect ran away through the campus, authorities said.
"The victim is the one who told law enforcement and public safety that the perpetrator owned a gun and was armed, but a gun was not used in the incident," Miami Dade College spokesman Juan Mendieta said.
Still, some students were startled by the incident.
"The SWAT team came in and they were like, 'Put your hands up.' So we put our hands up," Palencia said. "Everybody was nervous. They didn't let us grab our stuff or anything like that, so we just started walking."
Homestead police's SWAT team searched the classrooms and corridors for the suspect. Police even searched students who matched the description of the suspect.
"It is terrifying. You don't even know what to do," one student said.
As K9 units searched the perimeter of the campus, hundreds of students waited outside of Homestead City Hall in the rain, waiting to return to class
"I left my car keys -- everything is in my bag, so I have to wait here," Palencia said.
The lockdown was lifted Tuesday afternoon.
Police have not released the suspect's identity.