By Angela Wu and Samantha Pergadia, Special Writers
A Princeton University student touched off a campus-wide security alert over the weekend by running across the campus carrying an “imitation” AK-4 assault rifle, police said.
Princeton Borough police confiscated the weapon and charged Steven Shonts, 18, of Eden Prairie, MN, with “possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose” and “possession of an imitation firearm on university grounds.” He was released on his own recognizance.
Another student, Erica Greil, said in an e-mail that she had contacted the university’s public safety department at 11:30 p.m. Friday after seeing a male running with a gun near University Place.
”As we were passing the Dinky station, we saw the person run past,” she said. “My first instinct was to notice that somebody was running, which always catches my attention. Then I noticed he was carrying what looked like a large gun.”
Ms. Greil said she was unable to tell whether the gun was real but decided to call the public safety department because “if it was real, I didn’t want something bad to happen and I didn’t alert anyone.”
University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt said campus public safety officers and Princeton Borough police “were immediately on the scene interviewing witnesses and searching the area – within minutes.”
The first alert to the campus community went out at 12:42 a.m. via e-mail, text messages and voice mail.
”The safety of our community is our top priority, and that includes both the physical and the emotional safety of our campus. Fear and anxiety are common and expected immediate reactions,” Ms. Cliatt said. “Raising an alert is not taken lightly, and we think very seriously about these considerations when making every effort to ensure that there is a credible threat.”
The first alert message stated: “This is an actual emergency and not a test. Public Safety has recommended that all students remain inside until further notice. Do not go outside to travel to another building. Close and lock the doors and windows. Check e-mail and/or the University’s home page at www.princeton.edu for further information and updates.”
Christina Farah, a student who lives in the Spelman dormitory, said she was alone in her room when she received the alert.
”I panicked, locked myself in my bedroom and hid under the bed,” she said. “Other people were also freaking out, and it was especially noticeable on Facebook statuses.”
Axel Wehr, another Spelman resident, said he was in his room with friends and roommates when he got the alert.
”We locked the doors, closed the windows and all got into the same room for about 15 minutes,” Mr. Wehr said.
Some 40 minutes after the first alert, a second alert reported that a suspect had been detained and campus security officers had confirmed “that there is no threat.”
”Public Safety has issued an all clear, and members of the campus community can resume their normal activities,” the alert message stated. “An individual has been identified in relation to the previous unconfirmed report of a student-age male with a weapon.”
According to statement issued by the university, a male student who saw the emergency alert message had called campus security at 12:59 a.m. to report that he was the subject of the report.
”Public Safety officers and Princeton Borough police met with the student at a dorm on campus, and he told officers he was taking the nonfunctional weapon to show a friend,” the statement said.
According to borough police, Mr. Shontz “was placed under arrest by Sgt. Jon Bucchere and Ptl. James Martinez after an investigation revealed that he ran from Forbes College to 1915 Hall on the Princeton University campus with an imitation/replica AK-4 assault rifle.”
Mark Burstein, the university’s executive vice president, issued a statement saying, “We are satisfied with our response to this situation. Both our department of public safety and the Princeton Borough police responded quickly, and the university’s emergency notification system functioned smoothly.”

