Matthew Christopher Harris, suspect in threats to Boulder, UCLA, charged in federal court

The man arrested in Boulder on Tuesday and accused of writing a 800-page manifesto full of threats has been charged in federal court.

Matthew Christopher Harris, 31, is facing one count of transmission of threats in interstate commerce and could be facing up to 20 years in federal prison, according to U.S. District Court documents.

According to a complaint filed in the case, Harris, a former philosophy professor at University of California Los Angeles, sent an email to his mother on Jan. 21, 2021, in which he threatened to shoot a professor and former colleague at the University of California Irvine.

On March 22, Harris sent another email telling his mother he was looking at going to “local” gun ranges, followed by an email on March 27 asking about UC Irvine’s schedule.

According to the complaint, Harris was reported to UCLA police on March 30 after he sent about 20 emails to several female students in his research group which contained “offensive/inappropriate content.”

On April 10, Harris’ mother sent the UCLA philosophy department an email, expressing her concern that Harris was “unwell” and that he had made several “disturbing comments” about his former colleagues.

Harris’ mother, who said she does not have a good relationship with her son and had not seen him for five years because of past threats against her, told police Harris suddenly appeared at her home in North Carolina in April and was emailing her “violent and specific” threats regarding his former colleague.

A protection order naming the former colleague and all University of California campuses and preventing Harris from owning any weapons was issued by Los Angeles County in June.

In February 2022, Harris’ mother told the FBI she knew Harris then moved to Colorado over the summer and had at one point been committed to a mental institution and diagnosed with schizophrenia.

FBI investigators discovered Harris attempted to buy a weapon at a gun store in Wheat Ridge in November, but was denied as a result of the protection order.

On Monday, Harris sent 35 individuals an email from his personal account directing them to a drive containing an 803-page “manifesto” titled “Death Sentences.” According to the complaint, Harris’ document contained threats and violent language toward specific people at UCLA as well as white people, Asians and Jewish people.

The document also contained references to Boulder and “the university.”

A video link in the document also led to a video in which Harris references killing several people while footage from a film depiction of the Columbine shooting played.

Police tracked Harris’ cellphone to a unit at 955 Broadway in Boulder, and police began surveillance on Monday. According to the complaint, police observed Harris “exit his residence yelling profanities and appearing to be highly agitated.”

According to the complaint, a police sergeant did attempt to talk to Harris at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, but he refused to come out.

According to Boulder police, SWAT was convened just before 8 a.m. Tuesday to secure the area and make contact with Harris, who surrendered without incident at 11 a.m. and was taken into custody.

Source: Read Full Article