Suspicion of possession of a firearm led a fleet of Radnor Police vehicles to South Campus Tuesday evening. Five male University students were taken into custody and cited for a violation of a pellet gun ordinance and disorderly conduct in front of McGuire Hall, according to authorities.

All five males involved are members of the varsity lacrosse team. Director of Public Safety, David Tedjeske, said that there is nothing to indicate that hazing was involved in this incident.

According to police, an unidentified 50-year-old male witness notified police that he saw the front passenger of a grey Jeep Cherokee holding a rifle. The suspicious vehicle was outside of the Villanova Stadium at the time of the call.

Radnor Police located the vehicle entering South Campus, and stopped the Jeep in front of McGuire Hall, according to the police report. More than seven police vehicles surrounded the suspects. Radnor Police notified Villanova Public Safety upon arrival, according to witnesses.

“There was a huge group watching … from the windows and in between the dorms outside,” said Gregory Mazmanian, freshman resident of McGuire Hall.

One Crosman rifle, one Crosman pistol, a holster for a Crosman semi-automatic handgun and one tube of Crosman .12 mm Soft Air pellets were confiscated from the students, according to police. One student was in the posession of a fake identification, according to a police report.

“[The students] were cited for disorderly conduct and a violation of the township’s orinance about displaying [airsoft] guns,” David Tedjeske, director of Villanova Public Safety said.

Radnor Police handcuffed the students and took them into custody at the Radnor Township Police Department, where they remained for two hours, according to Tedjeske. They were released from custody after 9 p.m. and then taken home by Public Safety, he said.

“We are reviewing the incident, conducting our own investigation and our findings will be turned over to the Dean of Students Office, who will review our findings and any violations that were made by Villanova students,” Tedjeske said. “We’ve spent the day really doing a large part of our investigation, working on this, gathering information from students who were involved to create a report of a clearer picture of each student’s involvement in this so that the Dean of Students Office has all that they need to judge this fairly.”

Public Safety attempted to control the crowd of students surrounding the scene because of the potential involvement of a dangerous weapon, according to Tedjeske.

The students are still attending classes at the University, according to Tedjeske.