Miami-Dade Police officers interact with a suspicious bicyclist as they responded to a potential incident near Miami-Dade College Kendall Campus, that sent the campus into lockdown, in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, August 17, 2022.
Daniel A. Varela
dvarela@miamiherald.com
Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus was put on lockdown Wednesday morning after someone thought they saw a rifle sticking out of a bicyclist’s bag.
It was actually an umbrella, said Juan Mendieta, the college’s director of communications.
The scare began around 9:14 a.m. when someone reported that there was a person on a bicycle with a “military-style” backpack, carrying what appeared to be a rifle, Mendieta said.
As a precaution, Mendieta said MDC’s Kendall campus, 11011 SW 104th St., was put on lockdown, with employees told to shelter in place while campus security and Miami-Dade police searched the area. The fall semester starts Aug. 22.
A scare this morning at @MDCollege Kendall campus after someone spotted a person riding a bike with this sticking out of their backpack. @MiamiDadePD responded after someone called 911 to report what they thought was a rifle sticking out of the bag. Turned it to be an umbrella. pic.twitter.com/xzoD724ExH
The Reporter, MDC’s student newspaper, said the following message was played over campus speakers:
“Attention please a dangerous situation has been confirmed on campus. The appropriate personal are responding. Seek shelter immediately at a secure location and await further instructions.”
Miami-Dade police on Twitter told people to avoid the area during their search for the “suspicious person” due to possible road shutdowns. Police found and detained the bicyclist nearby in the area of Southwest 104th Street and 109th Avenue.
Miami-Dade Police officers block the main entrance to Miami-Dade College Kendall Campus as a part of a lockdown protocol in response to a suspicious bicyclist near campus, in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Daniel A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Officers saw that the person had an umbrella, not a gun, and the “all clear” was given, Mendieta said.
Mendieta said the school frequently does active shooter training to prepare for potential situations like Wednesday’s scare.
“This is the new age when all threats and potential threats” are investigated and taken seriously, Mendieta said.
A Miami-Dade Police officer waves motorists past the Southwest entrance to Miami-Dade College Kendall Campus as a part of a lockdown protocol in response to a suspicious bicyclist near campus, in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Daniel A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription
