A masked driver was arrested after police said he drove aggressively through the University of Maryland campus in College Park while waving what appeared to be a weapon Tuesday morning.
The weapon was later determined to be a white gaming rifle used for video games, according to the University of Maryland Police Department.
Christopher Alongzo Garner, 40, of Washington, D.C., has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, threat of mass violence, molesting or threatening with bodily harm, and disturbing school operations.
Garner is being held without bond in Prince George’s County..
The university sent a safety notice to the campus communitysaying an aggravated assault involving a weapon being pointed had occurred earlier in the day.
Around 9:20 a.m., UMPD and the university’s Emergency Communications Center received a transferred call from Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications about a person driving a white Dodge van aggressively on campus.
Police said the driver was wearing a face mask and waving what appeared to be a weapon.
Officers located the van near Union Drive and Alumni Drive and stopped it. The driver was detained, and officers found what appeared to be a weapon inside the vehicle.
The item was later determined to be a white gaming rifle, police said.
Garner was taken into custody, and police determined there was no immediate threat to the campus community.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to call UMPD at 301-405-3555.
“We would like to take this moment and thank our community for calling police when they did,” UMPD said in a statement. “And, we remind our community, when you see suspicious behavior and/or activity, or anything that is of concern, please contact police immediately.”
