OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
2:30 PM – Wednesday, October 25, 2023
A man has been arrested after newly released documents showed that he had threatened to commit a mass shooting at the University of Arizona.
The man was identified as 27-year-old Michael Pengchung Lee.
On Sunday evening, the university, which is located in Tucson, Arizona, was informed about the situation.
According to documents released by the District of Arizona, Lee made threats aimed towards the university’s Greek Life in a Snapchat group chat with the username “asianluluu”. In his Snapchat messages, he threatened to commit a mass shooting at the school.
On Monday, Lee was finally arrested after officials had begun monitoring him.
Lee shared messages explaining that “there is going to be a mass tragedy and atrocity at the UofA soon.” After being asked if he was referring to the University of Arizona, the documents stated that he responded by saying, “sure is.”
Additionally, the documents stated that Lee expressed how he was planning to commit the mass shooting with an “AR-15.”
The interim complaint shows that Lee said, “I’m gonna do it guys, my mind is made up and there’s nothing u (sic) can do or say to stop me.”
The University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD) say that Lee is not affiliated with the school and that he is now facing charges for making a terroristic threat. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) helped to solve the investigation and mentioned that Lee has the potential to eventually face federal charges.
He was sent to Pima County Jail and is currently being held on a $7,500 bond.
According to a recent document released by the UofA Office of Public Safety, there is no current or pending threat to the school’s community from the 27-year-old man, and no other suspects are being searched for.
“We want the community to know this case is an example of a successful collaborative effort among UAPD, the Threat Assessment and Management Team (TAMT), and the FBI’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force,” UofA Chief Safety Officer Steve Patterson said in the release.
Currently, Lee does not appear to have any legal defense, according to federal court records.
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