Oakland County Man Brings Gun To School Gym, Threatens To 'Air This Place Out': Police

PONTIAC, MI — A convicted felon was arrested after bringing a loaded handgun to a basketball game at a Pontiac school last weekend, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers arrested 34-year-old Cleve Nichols III, from Pontiac, after he brought a handgun into a Pontiac school’s gymnasium and threatened to shoot people last Saturday, according to the complaint.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did not name the school where the incident happened.

They also did not disclose the age of the students playing in the basketball game, only noting that there were roughly 50 people in the gym, with 25-30 of them kids, according to the complaint.

A witness told investigators that Nichols, who was wearing camouflage pants, a black hooded sweatshirt and had a gun hanging out of his pocket, "was upset with one of the coaches," according to the complaint.

Another witness told investigators they saw Nichols arguing with one of the coaches and had his hand in his pocket when he yelled "I’ll air this place out," according to the complaint.

Another witness also said they heard Nichols yelling at the coach and that he would air him out and "air out this b----," according to the complaint.

A school employee then intervened and stood in front of Nichols, telling him to "consider the children," according to the complaint.

Nichols asked the school employee to move, and when the employee refused, Nichols walked out of the gym, according to the complaint.

Officers then arrived at the school where they found Nichols walking from the gym's north side to a red Ford vehicle, according to the complaint.

Officers detained Nichols while investigators searched the area, according to the complaint.

A witness outside the gym told investigators that Nichols placed a gun under a gray Ram pickup truck parked near the red Ford, according to the complaint.

Investigators then found a 9mm handgun with a round in the chamber and 13 rounds in its magazine, according to the complaint.

Nichols initially told investigators that he didn't have a firearm and requested an attorney on Monday when ATF agents interviewed him at the Oakland County Jail, according to the complaint.

Roughly 10 minutes later, he asked for the agents to come back and told them "I wouldn’t try and go up to the school and hurt nobody," according to the complaint.

He also told agents that he was a felon and not allowed to hold a firearm, but admitted to having a gun in his pocket on Saturday, according to the complaint.

He also admitted to hiding the gun under the pickup truck in the school's parking lot when he saw officers in the area, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Nichols previous convictions include:

• Pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in 2012
• Pleaded no contest to assault with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 1-to-8 years in prison in 2013
• Pleaded no contest to domestic violence and/or knowingly assaulting a pregnant person in 2023.

Now, Nichols faces a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. However, offenders can be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years without parole if they have three or more prior felony convictions.