Ex UCLA Lecturer Arrested In Boulder Tried To Buy Gun: Officials

BOULDER, CO — A former UCLA lecturer whom police suspected of threatening a mass shooting at UCLA was arrested Tuesday morning in Boulder following an hourslong SWAT standoff that led authorities to evacuate an elementary school, nearby businesses and University of Colorado sorority and fraternity houses.

As Los Angeles Patch previously reported, Matthew Harris, a 31-year-old postdoctoral fellow, was accused of posting a video and 800-page manifesto making "specific threats" toward people in UCLA's philosophy department. Philosophy students received an email Monday stating that Harris had made "specific threats" to people in the department and posted a video on social media titled "UCLA Philosophy Mass Shooting," the Los Angeles Times reported.

"The material includes a video entitled 'UCLA Philosophy Mass Shooting' and an 800-page manifesto with specific threats towards some members of our department," according to an email quoted by The Times. "In light of this, we will continue to have a discussion through Zoom until the authorities say that it is safe. I will keep you updated on this situation. But I would avoid being anywhere near Dodd Hall or the philosophy department until further notice .... Out of an abundance of caution, all classes will be held remotely tomorrow, Feb 1."

In the video, Harris makes references to race and uses several profanities, according to The Times. He included links to his manifesto and videos, including the video threatening a mass shooting, The Times said.

UCLA, the nation's largest public university, canceled in-person classes Monday in response to the video. Harris was placed on leave last year while UCLA probed reports that he sent pornographic content to a student, according to the Daily Bruin, the university's independent, student-run newspaper.

On Tuesday morning, police searching for him in Boulder forced University Hill Elementary and nearby University of Colorado sororities and fraternities to evacuate, police said. Elementary students met with parents at an education center on East Arapahoe Road, near 65th Street, as SWAT vehicles swarmed the 900 block of Broadway.

Harris was taken into custody around 11 a.m., police said.

Boulder police were notified of the manifesto and threats Monday evening. They reviewed parts of the literature and found references to killing, death, murder, shootings, bombs, a schoolyard massacre and similar phrases, authorities said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Some references mentioned Boulder specifically.

"Phrases like burn and attack Boulder outside of the university," said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold.

In response, Boulder SWAT teams set up a perimeter outside Harris' location around 8 a.m. Tuesday and evacuated schools, businesses and homes. A shelter-in-place order was issued and has since been lifted.

Investigators learned that Harris tried to buy a handgun from a Jefferson County store on Nov. 2 but was denied the purchase, Herold said. Investigators were searching his apartment Tuesday afternoon, and authorities said neighbors should expect to see more police in the area.

Michael Dougherty, district attorney for Boulder County, called Tuesday a "scary day for the people of Boulder."

"This happened very quickly," he said, noting it couldn't have happened without the Boulder Police Department.

"Boulder police took these threats of what they read in that manifesto very seriously and acted immediately," Dougherty said.

Federal prosecutors are in contact with state prosecutors and are considering federal charges. Cole Finegan, U.S. attorney for Colorado, said the FBI, ATF and his office are involved. Federal investigative resources are being "brought to bear," he said.

The school's plan for Wednesday wasn't immediately set.

Evacuated university students were told to go to the University Memorial Center on campus, police said.

University Hill Elementary is one of Boulder's oldest elementary schools, founded in 1906, according to the school's website. It says it aims to have half of its students with a home language of English and half whose home language is Spanish.

The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and has about 460 students, with about 72 percent minority enrollment, according to U.S. News & World Report.

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