Campus Alert Archive
UM

Two Missoula Armed Robberies Drive UM to Lock Down and Eight Schools to Enter Lockout Mode

MTlockdownemergency notificationmedium confidence

On February 6, 2014, a man with a handgun robbed a Motel 6 and a Taco Bell on East Broadway in Missoula, Montana, at approximately 9 a.m. MST. When the suspect was spotted running near Arthur Avenue along the edge of campus, the University of Montana issued a shelter-in-place alert around 10:20 a.m., triggering a nearly two-and-a-half-hour lockdown. Eight Missoula County Public Schools also entered lockout mode. The suspect was never located during the lockdown period.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Montana
Public R1 · MT
UM Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction147 chars
UM Alert: Shelter in Place, Lock Your Doors. Armed robbery suspect on the loose near campus. Missoula Police searching the area. Do not go outside.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The alert was issued at approximately 10:20 a.m. MST on February 6, 2014, about 80 minutes after the initial robberies at Motel 6 Extended Stay and Taco Bell on East Broadway
A witness reported seeing a man matching the suspect's description -- young white male, 5'5" to 5'7", wearing bandanas -- running along Arthur Avenue near the university
The University of Montana campus sits along the Clark Fork River immediately adjacent to downtown Missoula; Arthur Avenue borders the east edge of campus
ALL CLEARSMS+2h 25m
Approximate reconstruction168 chars
UM Alert: All clear. The campus lockdown has been lifted. There is no indication the suspect is still in the area. Missoula Police continue to investigate. Use caution.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear was issued approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes after the lockdown began; suspect was still at large at the time
The 'use caution' caveat in the all-clear reflected that the robbery suspect had not been apprehended; police continued to investigate after campus re-opened
Eight Missoula County Public School campuses had also entered lockout mode during the same period; their status was resolved simultaneously
Context

Background

The University of Montana occupies a compact campus at the foot of Mount Sentinel in Missoula, directly adjacent to the city's commercial corridor on East Broadway. On the morning of February 6, 2014, an armed robber hit two businesses -- a Motel 6 Extended Stay and a Taco Bell -- within blocks of campus shortly after 9 a.m. MST. When a witness spotted a man matching the suspect's description running along Arthur Avenue, which borders campus, UM police activated the UM Alert system around 10:20 a.m. Under the shelter-in-place directive, students locked classroom doors and buildings for approximately two and a half hours. Eight Missoula County Public Schools also entered lockout mode simultaneously, illustrating how off-campus criminal incidents in a densely settled urban fringe can cascade through multiple institutions' emergency systems at once. The lockdown was lifted just before 1 p.m. after no further sightings; the suspect was not located during the active search period. The incident was notable as a textbook example of an off-campus crime triggering a full campus lockdown under post-HEOA emergency notification standards -- the proximity of a potentially armed suspect constituted an immediate threat under UM's protocols even though no actual campus crime had occurred.
Outcome
Campus lockdown lifted approximately 12:45 p.m. MST after no indication suspect remained in the area. Suspect not apprehended during lockdown.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Missoula armed robbery causes lockdown (Montana Public Radio)
    mtpr.org
  2. national media
    Lockdown lifted at University of Montana after armed robberies, but suspect still at large (Fox News)
    foxnews.com
  3. News
    Robbery suspect still on loose in Missoula (NBC Montana)
    nbcmontana.com
  4. News
    2 robberies prompt UM, school lockdowns (Missoulian)
    missoulian.com
Tags
lockdownarmed-robberyoff-campus-relatedshelter-in-placepublic-r1montanamissoulaschools-cascade2014
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion