Man arrested after bomb scare in UW classroom

SEATTLE -- A man was arrested on charges of making a bomb threat after he allegedly walked into a University of Washington classroom Thursday, held up a cellphone and played a recorded message announcing "the C4 is charged" and a countdown began, UW Police said.

Students naturally panicked and ran from the Savery Hall room. On the way out, someone activated the fire alarm, UW police said.

"Officers contacted the man on University Way NE shortly thereafter and he was arrested on charges of making a bomb threat," UW Police Chief John Vinson said in a news release.

"The investigation revealed this was a prank and there was no device on him or left in the room," Vinson said.

Students and teachers waited for more than an hour to get the all-clear to back inside the building.

"In the time you don't know what's going on so that makes things more scary," said Sociology Department adviser Maura Nakamichi. "I'm feeling super annoyed, I was supposed to go home a long time ago. I'm thankful, of course nothing happened."