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Charges Filed Against Suspect In Community College Of Philadelphia Gun Scare

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Charges have been filed against Ryan Fitch, 23, of Northeast Philadelphia after he allegedly displayed a gun in a Community College of Philadelphia classroom Wednesday afternoon.

Fitch was arraigned Thursday on a number of charges including bringing a weapon into a school, simple assault and making terroristic threats.

His parents said they were hoping to raise the required ten percent ($25,000) of his $250,000 bail, in order to allow him to leave jail.

Meanwhile, on campus, freshman Stephen Biel returned to class with a shrug of the shoulders.

"School security is very safe. One incident is not gonna change how I feel about going to school," he said. "I grew up in the city. Everybody has guns so it doesn't bother me."

It should be noted that Biel had Wednesday off so he avoided the scenario that sent many students into a panic. One of the students who experienced the chaos was Holly Fok, who said she used Twitter to get updates.

"We were just locked in there we didn't know anything. The police came in and were like, 'oh you guys were supposed to evacuate an hour ago.' And we weren't told any of this."

Police say it was about noon when calls came pouring in that there was a man with a gun inside a school building.

"As soon as the gun was pulled out, we all ran out of the classroom as fast as we could," administrative associate Scarlet Floyd said. "We locked the doors. I called security."

Police say Fitch displayed a gun after barging into a Chemistry classroom and getting into a confrontation with another student there.

The ensuing emergency response was massive with officers from Homeland Security and SWAT teams rushing to the scene.

All buildings were evacuated and classes were canceled for the remainder of the day.

Authorities say no shots were fired and there were no injuries.

Fitch was arrested at a Northeast Philadelphia apartment hours later. While, he is licensed to carry a gun, the school does not allow weapons on campus.

Now, a member of the board of trustees says they will review the school's response to make sure nothing could have been done better.

Thursday afternoon, Community College of Philadelphia's Interim President Judith Gay released the following statement in part:

"The College Family and the Philadelphia police worked together and handled the situation in a professional manner that resulted in no injuries. We're pleased that there were no injuries."

CCP administration declined CBS 3's requests for an on-camera interview.

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