Towson Student Charged After Threatening University

A Towson University student faces charges after threatening mass violence on campus this week—threats he allegedly posted on the social media app Yik Yak, according to The Towerlight, the student-run newspaper on campus.

Present at more than 200 colleges and universities, Yik Yak is an app that lets people make anonymous posts to users in their campus vicinity.

The Towson Yik Yak poster said: “I plan on shooting up this [expletive] school on Oct. 4,” stating that it would be “Virginia Tech part 2,” according to charging documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun.

A student shared the troubling message with her resident assistant, who brought the matter to the attention of the university, which involved county, state and federal officials in the ensuing investigation, The Towerlight reported.

After the student posted the threat Wednesday, he was identified and arrested within 24 hours, according to WBAL.

Matthew David Cole, of Elkridge, 18, was charged with making a threat of mass violence and disturbing school operations, according to The Towerlight.

The charges are from Wednesday, Oct. 1, online court records show. That is the first day a new law takes effect making it a misdemeanor in the state of Maryland to threaten to cause an act of mass violence in written communication or electronic mail, punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $10,000 fine.

Previously, threatening to cause mass violence was difficult to prosecute because it was not explicitly addressed in the law in Maryland—one of five states where making such threats is not a felony, ABC 2 News reported.

Cole was taken into custody Thursday and released on Friday, online court records show.

He posted $100,000 bail to get out, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported Cole admitted to writing the post after he was concerned about his GPA dropping due to his jazz history class.

In the meantime, it does not appear he will be going to class anytime soon. As Cole awaits his Jan. 27 appearance in Baltimore County District Court, Towson University has revoked his on-campus privileges while the Office of Student Conduct reviews the case, The Towerlight reports.

Towson administrators notified students about the situation Friday, according to ABC 2 News, which published the official statement that said: “...there is no longer a threat to the university community.”