The University of Connecticut Police arrested two UConn students, both 18 years old, on active warrants Wednesday. The arrests follow an incident that took place in Connecticut Hall’s dining facility on Gilbert Road shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7.
According to UCPD arrest reports, both students “took part in reenacting a Tik Tok video that was going viral” in the dining facility. One student yelled out commands while holding a black cell phone with both hands, while the other student recorded a video from his cell phone, also contributing to the yelling. The black cell phone was “postured forward like [the student was] holding a firearm,” the reports stated.
Both individuals have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit threatening in the first degree and breach of peace in the second degree, according to the reports. The student that had held the black cell phone like a firearm is facing an additional charge of threatening in the first degree.
According to the reports, the incident at Connecticut Hall “caused fear and alarm” to other individuals present at the building’s dining facility. No one was injured in the incident and no dangerous items were present, according to UConn Police.
According to University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, federal privacy laws prohibit the university from discussing whether the students may face discipline. However, students could face student code of conduct reviews and sanctions, including expulsion, if it appears their behavior caused safety concerns or disruptions to regular operations.
“Generally speaking, any students who are believed to have engaged in behavior that causes safety concerns and/or disrupts regular operations may face student code of conduct reviews and can be subject to sanctions, up to and including expulsion,” Reitz wrote in a statement to The Daily Campus.
UCPD has processed and released both individuals from custody, as stated in the reports. Due to the charge in first-degree conspiracy to commit threatening, each student’s bond amount was determined to be $50,000. Both are scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 21.
For a video that was going viral I’ve never heard of anything like that.
I thought we took gun threats in schools seriously in CT