Two University of Connecticut students have been apprehended on the grounds of multiple charges. They may also be looking at disciplinary action from the school in connection with the fake active shooter incident that caused an eruption of panic in the dining hall on November 7.
Trending
One student barged into the hall clutching a black cell phone, which "was “postured forward like [the student was] holding a firearm,” The Daily Campus reported. He began barking orders and forcing everyone to get down on the ground. The other student recorded the incident in an attempt to recreate a TikTok video, while also yelling commands.
The two students “caused fear and alarm” at the dining facility, reports state
The two teens have since been identified as 18-year-old Thanh Bao, of Vernon, and 18-year-old Nathanael Ghez, of Penn Valley, PA. While the former held the fake gun, the latter made the video. According to Patch, the incident "caused fear and alarm to others in the dining facility."
Bao has been hit with second-degree breach of peace, first-degree threatening/displaying a firearm, and conspiracy to commit first-degree threatening/displaying a firearm. As for Ghez, he has been booked with second-degree breach of peace and conspiracy to commit first-degree threatening/displaying a firearm.
According to WFSB, a UConn spokesperson, Stephanie Reitz, issued a statement about the same:
"Federal privacy laws prohibit UConn from discussing whether specific students may face discipline. However, 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.”
A small excerpt of the University's Student Code of Conduct reads:
"Each student shall be responsible for one’s conduct from the time of admission through the actual awarding of a degree, even though conduct may occur before classes begin or after classes end, as well as during the academic year and during periods between terms of actual enrollment (and even if the conduct is not discovered until after a degree is awarded). The Student Code shall apply to a student’s conduct even if the student withdraws from the University while a student conduct matter is pending."
The UCPD has processed and released both students on $50,000 bonds, and they are slated to appear in Rockville Superior Court on November 21.
Reply
