The Naval Medical Center San Diego has asked people there to shelter in place after someone reported seeing an armed man, the southern California complex said on its Facebook page Thursday morning.
No shots have been fired, and security personnel are investigating, the center said.
“A caller to the hospital reported seeing an armed man on 4-West,” the post reads. “… As a measure of precaution, staff are sheltering in place — staff and patients en route to NMCSD are advised not to come to the hospital until the scene is cleared.”
Brian O’Rourke, media relations officer for Navy Region Southwest, told NBC 7 the shelter in place order is a precaution. There is no active shooter situation at the Naval facility.
O’Rourke said an anonymous call came into NMCSD at 7:35 a.m. reporting an armed man near a building located on the eastern side of the campus east of the main hospital complex, north of Florida Drive.
Officials are working to verify the call and determine whether there is a threat to the Naval facility.
In January, a separate report of a shooting at the center turned out to be a false alarm, the military said.
O’Rourke said the Navy takes any and all potential threats seriously.
Naval Medical Center San Diego bills itself as the largest military health care system in the western United States. Situated on 78 acres surrounded by San Diego’s Balboa Park, the center has a 272-bed hospital, eight clinics for active-duty personnel and nine primary care sites for their family members.
The center had more than 1.2 million outpatient visits in 2014, admitting more than 19,000 patients that year. The hospital offers a comprehensive array of medical services, including births. （CNN & NBC）
