Access to the West Los Angeles Pepperdine campus is now open. An active crime scene investigation continues across the street at The Promenade at Howard Hughes Shopping Center. Access to The Promenade continues to be restricted.
The Pepperdine University West Los Angeles campus is closed this morning due to an active crime scene investigation at the Promenade at Howard Hughes Shopping Center across the street. University employees who work at the West Los Angeles campus should work from home and be in contact with their supervisors for further instructions. The University will continue to monitor the situation and a decision regarding whether classes will be held at the West Los Angeles Campus later today is pending. Students with classes at the West Los Angeles campus should contact their respective schools regarding whether classes will be held before attempting to come to campus. University operations at all other campus locations are continuing as normal and classes are in session.
Hank Lee, 37 year old male, 6’0″, 145 lbs, with black hair, and black eyes.
We previously notified the community about an incident on September 17, 2012 regarding a suspicious person, later identified as Hank Lee, who chased and harassed women on Res Road on the Malibu campus. The individual has no affiliation with Pepperdine, and was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for a mental health evaluation and involuntary treatment. We have credible evidence that while in custody Lee made threats against the Pepperdine community. Specifically, he stated his intent to “impregnate women at Pepperdine” and “kill anyone who gets in his way.” Although it appears that he was in a delusional state when he made the statement, we want to be thoughtful about community safety and ensure the community has all relevant information. We also have learned that Lee may focus his attentions on light haired women specifically, and that he has followed Pepperdine students from a local shopping center in Malibu.
2009 Silver Scion xB with California License Plate 6EXE524
Lee remains in custody, but is scheduled for release Friday, November 2. The University is working with law enforcement, and has secured a restraining order against Lee, prohibiting him from coming on any University property. Public Safety will increase patrols, and will be watching for him; he should be considered dangerous. If he is observed on any Pepperdine campus, call 911 immediately, then call the Department of Public Safety at (310) 506-4441 (or extension 4441 on campus). An important aspect of community safety is all members remaining vigilant and looking out for one another.
If you have questions, or to report suspicious activity, you may contact Public Safety 24 hours a day:
Emergency on campus extension: 4441
From an off campus line: 310.506.4441
From a “blue light” phone: Dials automatically
Anonymous Tip Hotline: 310.506.7634
Security escorts are available by calling the Department of Public Safety at (310) 506-4442.
Hank Lee, 37 year old male, 6’0″, 145 lbs, with black hair, and black eyes.
We previously notified the community about an incident on September 17, 2012 regarding a suspicious person, later identified as Hank Lee, who chased and harassed women on Res Road on the Malibu campus. The individual has no affiliation with Pepperdine, and was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for a mental health evaluation and involuntary treatment. We have credible evidence that while in custody Lee made threats against the Pepperdine community. Specifically, he stated his intent to “impregnate women at Pepperdine” and “kill anyone who gets in his way.” Although it appears that he was in a delusional state when he made the statement, we want to be thoughtful about community safety and ensure the community has all relevant information.
2009 Silver Scion xB with California License Plate 6EXE524
Lee remains in custody, but may be released soon. We will notify the community when his release date becomes known. The University is working with law enforcement, and has secured a restraining order against Lee, prohibiting him from coming on any University property. Public Safety will be watching for him; he should be considered dangerous. If he is observed on any Pepperdine campus, call 911 immediately, then call the Department of Public Safety at (310) 506-4441 (or extension 4441 on campus). An important aspect of community safety is all members remaining vigilant and looking out for one another.
If you have questions, or to report suspicious activity, you may contact Public Safety 24 hours a day:
Emergency on campus extension – 4441
From an off campus line – (310) 506-4441
From a “blue light” phone – Dials automatically
Anonymous Tip Hotline – (310) 506-7634
Security escorts are available by calling Public Safety at (310) 506-4442.
Isaac Yasharal, 29 year old male, 5’9″, 175 lbs, with black hair, and brown eyes.
On September 20, 2012, we informed the Pepperdine community about an incident regarding a man who groped a female student near the Terrace Parking Lot on the Malibu campus. This individual was later identified as Isaac Yasharal. Yasharal has no affiliation with Pepperdine and was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. We have learned that Yasharal has now been released.
Yasharl’s Blue/Gray Audi with California License Plate 6LMF429
Yasharal was warned that he is prohibited from coming onto campus, and Public Safety is watching for him. He should be considered dangerous. If he is observed on campus, call 911 immediately, then call the Department of Public Safety at (310) 506-4441 (or extension 4441 on campus). An important aspect of community safety is all members remaining vigilant and looking out for one another.
If you have questions, or to report suspicious activity, you may contact Public Safety 24 hours a day:
Emergency on campus extension – 4441
From an off campus line – (310) 506-4441
From a “blue light” phone – Dials automatically
Anonymous Tip Hotline – (310) 506-7634
Security escorts are available by calling Public Safety at (310) 506-4442.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reports that “All the available information continues to indicate Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories, and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity,” despite the reports of low concentrations of radioactive particles heading eastward from Japan.
On April 8, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that there are no radiation related health risks to individuals outside of Japan. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control remains confident that there will be no serious health consequences here in the U.S.
The U.S. continues to monitor the situation through Radnet, a system of 100 radiation monitors overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pepperdine University officials are also following developments for any changes. Additional information is available from the resources below:
State and federal health officials do not believe that radiation from Japan will create a harmful health threat to the U.S. west coast. Nevertheless, Pepperdine University officials are closely monitoring the situation for any changes. The U.S. Department of Energy has activated the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center to determine how the radiation would disperse in the atmosphere from Fukushima, and we are following that progress. At this time there are no indications of a risk to the U.S. west coast. Pepperdine remains poised and prepared to respond to various types of emergencies; we maintain food, water, medical, and other supplies for use in an emergency, and our staff practices emergency response. We communicate widely to our student community so that all should know how and where to get instructions during emergencies. Please see our emergency webpage at emergency.pepperdine.edu for further information.
A tsunami advisory is in effect for coastal areas in Southern California. The wave surge is expected to be 1-3 feet and arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 this morning. The tsunami does not threaten the Malibu campus. All operations are functioning normally on the Malibu Campus.
Due to a lightning strike, an unexpected regional power outage occurred at approximately 11:15 a.m., which included Pepperdine’s Malibu and Westlake Village campuses. Power was restored to both campuses at approximately 11:50 a.m. Southern California Edison does not expect further interruptions from this situation. Roughly 90,000 customers were impacted. At this time power has been restored for roughly half of those customers.
While maintenance related power outages had been scheduled in the Malibu area, they were canceled due to the approaching storm and were not related to this incident.
For further information on how you should respond and how the University responds to Power Outages please see the University’s Emergency Information Page at: http://emergency.pepperdine.edu/power-outages/.
Contact the Office of Insurance & Risk at (310) 506-4410 with any questions.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Americans traveling in Europe to be vigilant about their surroundings and aware of possible terrorist attacks aimed at both public transportation and tourist destinations. The full alert, which is available at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_europe.html#, urges travelers to remain aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves. The following is meant to assist you in these two areas.
The Pepperdine University community should take precautions and plan before travel:
Remaining aware of your surroundings can provide you information, which may help you to react quickly and safely in an emergency situation.
- Individuals who appear to be observing a location, counting or timing, or taking photos or video in a way that strikes you as odd or multiple times in the same place.
- Individuals who you see unexpectedly in multiple locations or at multiple times in the same location.
If you find yourself in a situation that is dangerous or has the potential to become dangerous:
- Get away: The best thing is get away early. This might include climbing a wall or a fence, climbing out of a window, or breaking from a large group. Scatter away from the location to avoid being trapped. Once in a safe place, alert local authorities, your program director, and your parents to your situation.
- Hide: If you cannot get away, hide. If possible find a room that locks.
- Blockade the door with furniture or other heavy objects.
- Close the blinds, turn off the lights, remain quiet, silence cell phones, spread out from other individuals, and move behind available cover. Stay on the floor, away from doors or windows, and do not peek out to see what may be happening.
As you are travelling, if you become aware of an emergency in or near your destination city or country, alert the program director and your parents of your status and location as soon as possible. Never discuss your travel plans with strangers or in places where your plans can be over-heard by others.
Please review additional best practices available online in WaveNet by viewing the Shots Fired and Safe Passage videos, and on the University’s Emergency Information Page, http://emergency.pepperdine.edu.
