PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WAND) — Florida police arrested a former University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student after he threatened to engage in violence on the Urbana campus.
A 22-year-old Wesley Chapel, Florida man was arrested by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) on a preliminary charge of Written Threats to Kill or Conduct a Mass Shooting. The arrest resulted from coordination between PSO and the University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD).
A Reddit user reached out to UIPD around 7:30 p.m. Monday night after seeing a post in which an anonymous user threatened to "shoot up the school." The post, which has since been removed from the website, contained additional threatening content according to the department.
By using digital evidence, UIPD was able to determine that the post originated in Pasco County, Florida. UIPD coordinated with PSO, and PSO deputies made contact with the 20-year-old at his Florida home. According to PSO, the man told deputies that he wrote the post.
He was booked into the Pasco County Jail on Tuesday morning. The investigation is ongoing, and UIPD is working with federal authorities to explore additional charges.
The 20-year-old had previously been dismissed by the university but further information about his student record has not been made available.
“There were a lot of moving parts to this investigation in a very quick timeframe,” said U. of I. Police Chief Alice Cary. “For one thing, we had an observant community member who immediately reported alarming social media content.”
Community members are encouraged to reach out to law enforcement when they come upon threatening or suspicious activity.
“Police investigators acted quickly to identify the person responsible, and law enforcement cooperation extended beyond state lines,” Cary said. “Everyone involved recognized the seriousness of this threat and acted immediately to keep our campus community safe.”
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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