Taiwanese Student Who Threatened Delco School Pleads Guilty

The Taiwanese exchange student at Bonner Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill who allegedly threatened to shoot up the school pleaded guilty in federal court to a gun charge and agreed to be permanently banned from the United States, according to federal authorities.

An-Tso "Edward" Sun, 18, of Taiwan who lived in Upper Darby Borough with a host family, pleaded guilty Tuesday to being an alien in possession of ammunition, according to U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain.

Sun previously pleaded guilty to making terroristic threats with the intent to terrorize others on Monday, June 4. Sun was ordered to serve four to 23 months in prison. However, the judge ordered Sun be immediately paroled to federal officials for deportation.

However, federal authorities announced charges filed against Sun just days later.

Sun came to the US in August 2017 to study at the school in Upper Darby.

Authorities said in October 2017 Sun visited a Philadelphia shooting range on multiple occasions, where he fired a variety of firearms, including semiautomatic rifles and shotguns.

Then over the next few months, Sun purchased hundreds of rounds of ammunition from online vendors, and directed that they be shipped to his host-family address, according to federal officials.

In January this year, Sun bought pistol components from online vendors and put them together to create a functioning homemade pistol, authorities said.

Then on March 26, Sun told a friend to not attend school on May 1, saying he was "going to come here armed and shoot up the school" but then said he was kidding, according to officials.

However, Upper Darby Police said Sun also asked that same student how to buy a gun and that Sun had looked up information about weapons such as AK-47 and AR-15 rifles on a school-issued iPad.

That student reported the incident to school officials, who then alerted police, prompting police to search his host home which led police to find 20 rounds of 9mm Blazer Brass ammunition; a ballistic suit, including a vest, jacket and pants; a crossbow; seven arrows; and various firearm accessories and shooting equipment, according to federal officials.

Sun's host mother said before the home was searched she took out a number of items from Sun’s bedroom – including among other things, a homemade semiautomatic pistol, two AK-style 30-round magazines with ammunition, two AR-15-style 30-round magazines with ammunition, and numerous additional boxes of ammunition, totaling over 1,600 rounds – and gave the items to an attorney, authorities said.

Sun was then arrested by Upper Darby Police and locally with making terroristic threats.

Under federal law, as a student present in the United States on an F-1 visa – which is a nonimmigrant visa – without a hunting license, Sun was not permitted to possess any ammunition or firearms, authorities said.

Sun's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 11.

He faces a maximum possible sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years’ supervised release, according to federal officials.

Sun has agreed that upon completing his prison sentence, he is subject to immediate and permanent deportation from the United States, authorities said.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Upper Darby Police Department and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah M. Wolfe.

Image via Upper Darby Police