A San Diego State University student was arrested Wednesday after an apparent threatening and racist video surfaced on social media.
Martin Ruiz, 24, is accused of making criminal threats on Snapchat toward a member of the university’s black community, the school announced Wednesday.
A video was posted to Snapchat “in which an individual appears to make a threatening and disparaging remark directed at a member of SDSU’s Black community,” SDSU tweeted Tuesday morning.
The exact content of the video was not released.
The school said the comments made in the video used “imagery historically used to threaten Black individuals and communities.”
NBC 7 obtained the video and the comments made were racially-charged. Martin threatened the victim with graphic violence.
Ruiz may face charges of hate crime and making a criminal threat that would result in death or great bodily injury.
“I want to reaffirm that we will continue to take allegations of hate crimes seriously and immediately devote resources to the pursuit of the investigation,” SDSU Chief of Police Josh Mays said in a release Wednesday. “Our goal is to promote a safe and secure environment for all members of our community.”
SDSU President Adela de la Torre called the reported threats “fundamentally against who we are as a community.”
The university outlined ways it has attempted to enhance campus safety and support for all of its students.
- Campus police increased its presence at the Black Resource Center following vandalism in April.
- On April 11, the SDSU University Senate unanimously passed a resolution which called on the school to foster a safer climate for its black students and faculty.
- A team of faculty members launched a school imitative in the fall of 2018 to counter bias and discrimination.
“Every single member of our community should be free from discrimination, harassment and violence,” said SDSU Chief Diversity Officer J. Luke Wood. “We value and respect every person who has come forward to support our Black community, as well as other members of our community. Hate and bias-driven acts may target one, but they impact us all, and our community’s response with positive action is exactly the momentum we need to evolve our collective humanity.”
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While SDSU confirmed Ruiz was a student, he was not currently enrolled in classes at the time of the alleged threat.
Ruiz is scheduled to appear in court on May 9.
Those with information about the Snapchat video are asked to email SDSU at policeinvestigations@sdsu.edu.
