Former Crossroads employee Alex Patz faces charges for allegedly carrying a concealed firearm in his vehicle, according to court documents.
Patz was fired Oct. 17 and later arrested on suspicion of trespassing at Crossroads on Oct. 25. A UCPD detective filed a petition requesting a firearms restraining order against Patz over concerns that he could be a “potential danger to himself and others,” the petition stated.
According to UCPD Lt. Marc DeCoulode, Patz did not have a firearm on his person when he was arrested at Crossroads, but an unloaded firearm was subsequently found in his vehicle’s glove box. It is a misdemeanor in California to carry a concealed firearm in a vehicle.
“It’s not uncommon to search the interior of a vehicle incident to an arrest,” DeCoulode said.
DeCoulode said Patz’s arrest didn’t meet the criteria for a Nixle alert to the campus community.
“He’s no longer in possession of the firearm so there’s no reason to believe he’s an imminent threat to the campus community,” DeCoulode said.
A Crossroads employee — speaking on condition of anonymity after employees were instructed not to speak to media — said Crossroads staff remained concerned about their safety.
“We’re all sitting on edge. They’re telling us not to worry about anything,” the source said, but noting the increased security, “none of us can take ‘don’t worry’ lightly.”
Patz has more than 12 firearms registered to him, including three semi-automatic rifles and an assault rifle he purchased recently, according to a statement from a family member in the petition. DeCoulode said UCPD has records indicating that Patz had turned some of the firearms into law enforcement and that UCPD is currently working to verify the status of the remaining arms.
DeCoulode confirmed that UCPD has increased security at Crossroads since Patz’s arrest.
According to the Crossroads employee, workers were officially informed about the incident Wednesday. They were told that Patz was pulled over shortly after leaving Crossroads the night of Oct. 25 and that police discovered an unloaded 9-mm semiautomatic pistol in his glove box.
“Everybody deserves the right to know what’s going on,” the source said. “It didn’t sit right with me, not letting the student body know.”
A criminal hearing for concealed weapon charges is scheduled for Nov. 10.
