UPDATED ON MARCH 28, 2018 AT 1:50 P.M.
A student charged with multiple gun-related felonies was released Saturday evening, but remains banned from campus.
“This campus is safe and we’re going to continue with our diligence to implement measures we have in place to take care of our students and employees,” said Chief John Ojeisekhoba of Campus Safety.
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON MARCH 27, 2018 AT 11:45 P.M.
University Communications and Marketing released a statement at 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday confirming a student remains charged with multiple gun-related felonies after being arrested on Friday.
Officers from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department arrested senior business administration major Jason Roberts after Campus Safety alerted deputies to the firearm violations, which include the manufacture of an assault weapon, and the possession of an AR15 and a handgun. Campus Safety discovered the weapons after responding to a tip, according to an internal communications email sent by vice president of UCM Lee Wilhite.
Roberts kept the unregistered weapons in his dorm room, but after conducting an initial investigation and an interview with him, officers found he posed no threat to the campus or its community, according to Sergeant Manuel Flores of the LASD.
Flores could not confirm whether Roberts has been released.
The arrest occurred the same day as Mock Rock, an event which prompted students to flood Chase Gymnasium. The arrest also comes within days of a campus-wide lockdown drill during which Campus Safety conducted a tabletop exercise of an active shooter scenario.
Stewart resident and senior cinema and media arts major Torin White knew Roberts through a friend and describes him as a “pretty good guy” who violated the law.
“It’s clear he made some pretty substantial mistakes, and I don’t think they’re ones that can be overlooked. But at the same time it kind of is an odd circumstance,” White said. “It’s that circumstance where it’s clear that somebody’s ruined their life with a really genuinely terrible mistake, and as much as I agree with the decision to make the arrest and the decision to pursue legal action, I can’t help but feel for the guy, especially because it’s clear that he didn’t intend to threaten anybody.”
