Law Student’s Threat Closes UC Hastings

Boalt Hall School of Law officials said a UC Berkeley law student was responsible for a hoax Internet threat to UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco last Wednesday, causing the campus to shut down.

UC Hastings officials were alerted on Wednesday afternoon of a blog post threatening a copycat murder-suicide in reference to the events at Virginia Polytechnic Institute Monday, said UC Hastings spokesperson Lorri Ungaretti.

“The threat did not specifically reference it, but it felt clear that that was what it was,” she said.

UC Hastings officials contacted the San Francisco Police Department as well as the San Francisco branch of the FBI, and cancelled classes for the rest of the day, Ungaretti said.

“The FBI investigated and found it was a student at Boalt and that it was a hoax,” she said. “Classes resumed as usual (on Thursday).”

Law enforcement officials later contacted Boalt Hall officials to inform them that the threat was likely issued by a UC Berkeley law student, whose name cannot be released under federal privacy laws, said Boalt Hall spokesperson Susan Gluss.

“I deeply regret the anxiety and distress this action caused in the Hastings community and to some here at Boalt,” Boalt Hall Dean Christopher Edley said in an e-mail that was sent to the Boalt Hall community on Thursday. “Coming on the heels of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the posting was an astounding instance of immaturity, terrible judgment, and reckless disregard for the welfare of others.”

Although both the San Francisco Police Department and the FBI responded to the threat originally, the investigation has since been entirely turned over to the San Francisco branch of the FBI, said San Francisco Police Sergeant Neville Gittens.

“The FBI is investigating the threat and working to address it with the San Francisco Police Department,” said FBI spokesperson Brian Weber. “We are taking the threat seriously as we do all threats of that nature.”

Edley said in his e-mail that Boalt Hall officials intend to wait for the results of the FBI investigation before deciding what further action to take.

The Boalt Hall student will likely also be referred to UC Berkeley Student Judicial Affairs, Gluss said.

Although the threat has caused concern, it does not pose a threat for either UC Hastings students or UC Berkeley students, she said.

“There is no threat to the UC Berkeley campus,” she said. “The safety of everyone here is the first priority.”

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