Alexander Song, a University of Maryland student has been arrested by Md. Police officials for an online post that said he would go on a campus “shooting rampage.” He reportedly wrote “hopefully I kill enough people to make it to national news” and “stay away from the Mall tomorrow at 1:30.” The postings were seen on reddit.com and in response to Song’s post, a poster wrote “Trust me, no matter how tough things seem now, there’s good people in the world who are willing to help you and will make sure that you find the happiness you deserve. “Don’t turn your back on them.”
Marc Limansky, a University of Maryland police department spokesman, reported that Song’s comments were also posted on the anonymous chat site Omegle. Song, 19, was arrested on campus around 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, and was promptly taken to a local hospital after detectives determined that an emergency psychiatric evaluation was necessary. The sophomore faces a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the orderly conduct of the activities, administration, and classes on the campus. The charge is punishable by a maximum fine of $2,500 and/or possibly six months in jail. Song is banned from campus and his status as a student has been suspended.
