Man armed with shotgun crashes car onto Arkansas State University campus

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(Reuters) - An armed man crashed a car on the campus of Arkansas State University on Thursday and is in a standoff with police who have him surrounded, school officials said, calling the suspect "an active shooter."

"The individual with a weapon has been surrounded by police. No shots have been fired, no reported injuries," the school said on its Twitter said. 

The university in Jonesboro, about 130 miles northeast of Little Rock, said in a statement the school was placed on lockdown after the suspect crashed the vehicle on campus.

"(The) incident started when suspect drove into center of campus," the statement said, adding "few other details available at this time."

The suspect was spotted at the student union and the school advised people to evacuate the area, it said.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published a photo of a pickup truck with an American flag flying from the bed, saying it was the suspect's vehicle. The pickup is seen stopped near a walkway and by a paved area with tables and benches.

The Jonesboro Sun reported police as saying the suspect was armed with a shotgun and had two propane tanks in the back of the pickup truck.

"Campus police and Jonesboro authorities are handling it for now. The Arkansas State Police is standing by if assistance is needed,” said Bill Sadler, a state police spokesman.

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