UC Berkeley student charged with two felonies following campus lockdown
A UC Berkeley student is facing two counts of felony criminal charges after sending threatening emails to campus staff members and spurring the campus lockdown that occurred on April 21.
The student — 39-year-old Lamar Bursey — had been placed on academic suspension for an unknown incident a week prior to sending the emails. He is scheduled for a hearing on May 2 regarding his alleged crimes with the emails.
According to Alameda County district attorney documents acquired by The Daily Californian, Bursey sent emails to campus faculty members on April 21 containing threats of violence, causing campus workers to fear for their safety.
“I’ll be in the office from aprox 9am to 4pm today. Stop playing with me. Depending on who I feel was helping or not, 2 people on this email will get shot,” Bursey wrote in the email according to ABC10.
The campus went under a shelter-in-place order the same day, which was lifted at 2 p.m. by the UC Berkeley UC Police Department after Bursey was located at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland and taken into custody.
Bursey is represented by public defender Joe Breyer, who said he hopes Bursey’s mental health history is taken into account during proceedings.
“The punishment could include years in state prison,” Breyer said to The Daily Californian. “However, we are hopeful that everyone will realize that this is more of a mental health problem than it is a criminal problem.”
UCLA Undergraduate Student Association candidates sanctioned following allegations of stalking and harassment
Two UC Los Angeles Undergraduate Students Association (USA) Council candidates had their social media campaigns temporarily suspended until May 3 and are facing a possible hearing from the Undergraduate Students Association Judicial Board after students anonymously filed complaints of stalking and harassment.
The candidates — Angelina Quint and Carl King Jr. — faced an investigation from the USA Elections Board on April 27, following complaints the board received on behalf of both parties that the two candidates violated USA Election Code.
The first complaint was filed anonymously on Quint’s behalf, alleging that King harassed her through the anonymous Instagram account @exposing_forthepeople from February to March. The complaint additionally alleged that King threatened her and sent individuals to apprehend her at her dorm on April 12. King denied the allegations on his campaign Instagram account.
A second complaint was filed anonymously on King’s behalf against Quint on the same date, alleging that Quint made false claims against King and defamed him.
The elections board found the allegations made against King to be false — specifically accusations of in-person harassment — and “damaging to his character.” However, the board found that King was “more likely than not” the creator of the anonymous Instagram account but concluded that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to verify that he had been the one posting and messaging from the account.
Some of the allegations fall out of the Elections’ Board jurisdiction, according to the Daily Bruin, and have been reported to the UCLA administration for further investigation.
UCLA student government elections are being held from April 29 to May 6.
