Orange Coast College is under a state of heightened security as a suspended student continues to show up to campus, defying a restraining order.
Robert McDougal, 21, was arrested in March after carving a swastika onto the hood of a campus safety vehicle, said Doug Bennett, OCC's executive director of college advancement.
That was after the Coast Community College District had already filed a restraining order after McDougal harassed teachers and students in his chemistry class, authorities said.
Officials say things quickly escalated. They say that in addition to carving the swastika, McDougal slashed tires and wrote the "n" word on the campus safety vehicle.
Now all but one of the locks on the campus chemistry building remain locked, and police patrol the outside of the building.
"It's a little scary considering that we have to have that much security, but it's also comforting knowing they're there," said student Manal Fatima.
Bennett says that heightened security is necessary, considering McDougal's multiple restraining order violations. He has even been seen "taunting" campus safety officers, Bennett said.
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McDougal's attorney, however, says McDougal is not violent and suffers from a Asperger's syndrome and that the college is overreacting.
Campus officials plan to go to court next month to get a permanent restraining order.
In the meantime, Bennett says students should be alert and call police if they see McDougal on campus. They should also walk in pairs at night and use the campus escort service if they feel unsafe, Bennett said.
