A former lecturer who allegedly sent an 800-page manifesto and videos threatening to carry out a mass shooting at UCLA has been arrested in Colorado following a three-hour standoff with law enforcement, according to authorities.
Matthew Harris was taken into custody just after 11am on Tuesday morning in Boulder after investigators tracked him down to an apartment and issued a shelter-in-place in the surrounding area.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that Mr Harris, a former postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in UCLA’s philosophy department, made “thousands” of references to “killing”, “murders”, shootings”, “bombs” and “school-yard massacres” and included “phrases like burn and attack Boulder outside of the university” in his manifesto.
He had also reportedly attempted to buy a gun in the city back in November but had been denied from doing so.
Officials said they believe he was refused because a protection order in California raised a red flag to the store owner that Mr Harris was not allowed to buy or possess a firearm.
The police chief said that Boulder Police also had prior contact with the suspect back in October but that no charges were filed. No further details were given about the nature of that interaction.
On Monday, Mr Harris sent an email containing “specific threats” to members of the university’s philosophy department.
In the email, obtained in part by the LA Times, he warned that “da war is comin” and “forward dis [expletive] to our tha goldhead caucasoid princess”.
The email, which was said to be laden with profanities and references to race, also included links to the 800-page manifesto and videos posted on his now-removed YouTube channel.
Among the hundreds of videos posted on the channel on Sunday and Monday was one titled “UCLA PHILOSOPHY (MASS SHOOTING)”.
It contained footage of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting and clips from a movie based on the 1999 Columbine school shooting.
The threats sparked concerns among staff, faculty and students and led officials to cancel in-person lessons for the day, while the university police department worked with out-of-state law enforcement agencies to track down the suspect.
In Tuesday’s press briefing, Chief Herold said that California authorities had tracked Mr Harris down to Boulder and notified local police on Monday night.
Boulder police then tracked him down to an apartment the following morning and a SWAT team surrounded the property at around 7am, said the police chief.
Due to the nature of the threats, the nearby University Hills Elementary School was evacuated and 65 homes and businesses in the area were told to shelter in place.
“The level of violence that we saw in the manifesto was obviously so alarming,” she said.
“But I can tell you it was very violent. It was very disturbing. There was definitely references to Boulder in the manifesto, and a university setting and a schoolyard setting.”
Crisis negotiators made contact with Mr Harris by phone some time before 9am and he was finally taken into custody after 11am.
The shelter-in-place was lifted on Tuesday afternoon after the suspect’s apartment was searched.
UCLA Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael J. Beck sent an email to staff on Tuesday confirming that “the individual who made threats against some members of our UCLA community yesterday” is now in police custody.
In the email, obtained by The Independent, Mr Beck confirmed that the university will return to in-person lessons on Wednesday, after the threats had forced staff to switch to remote learning on Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution”.
“I am greatly relieved to share that law enforcement officers in Colorado have taken into custody the individual who made threats against some members of our UCLA community yesterday,” he said.
“The threats made yesterday were frightening for many of us and caused our community to feel vulnerable at an already challenging time. I’m sure many of us turned to one another for support.”
A similar letter was also sent from UCLA officials to the student body.
The letter, from Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Development and Health Suzanne Seplow and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life Michael Deluca, also addressed report that gunshots had been heard on Monday night.
“We also wanted to address some reports of gunshots heard on Hilgard Avenue last night,” the letter read.
“LAPD investigated and found no evidence that gunshots had been fired.”
Campus counselling was also available for anyone who needs it, the officials said, adding that “these are unsettling times and your well-being is a top priority”.
A UCLA spokesperson toldThe Independent earlier on Tuesday that out-of-state law enforcement had confirmed that the person who made the threats was “under observation and not in California”.
A post on the UCLA Student Body President Instagram page on Monday night said that Mr Harris lives on the East Coast so “does not pose a threat” to the California campus.
The university announced on Monday it was cancelling in-person learning “out of an abundance of caution”.
“UCLA Police Department is aware of a concerning email and posting sent to some members of the UCLA community today and actively engaged with out-of-state law enforcement and federal agencies,” the university tweeted.
“We will keep the community informed as we learn more.”
In a follow-up tweet two hours later, UCLA confirmed that the university’s police department was “actively working” with other agencies regarding the threats and that lessons would be remote on Tuesday.
“UCPD is actively working with out-of-state & federal agencies on threats sent to some members of our community,” the post read.
“We do not have specific information that this individual is in CA. Out of an abundance of caution, all classes will be held remotely Feb 1. We will keep you updated.”
In one of the emails informing students of a switch to remote learning, one staff member urged people to “avoid being anywhere near Dodd Hall or the philosophy department until further notice”, reported LA Times.
A UCLA student told ABC7 he had been “scared” of Mr Harris over his behaviour in the classroom and that he made “threats” when he was put on leave.
"I’ve been scared about this professor, this guy, for about a year since my girlfriend told me about the stories - how he treated their class, but also the threats he made after he got put on leave," said Nathan Robbins.
Anonymous reviews posted on Bruinwalk months before this week’s alleged threat complain about his “extremely unprofessional” actions.
“This professor is extremely unprofessional and has sent his personal p*rnographic content to a student,” one review from March 2021 reads.
Another, posted October 2020, says his class is “easily my least favorite class at ucla ever” and that he “started messaging people in the middle of the summer saying that he spilled Chinese food on their final and that they need to resubmit it”.
