SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The man accused of making racist threats toward a San Diego State student has been arrested.
According to campus police, Martin J. Ruiz was arrested Wednesday on allegations of making criminal threats via Snapchat. Ruiz is also an SDSU student not currently enrolled in classes, police say.
“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,” said SDSU Chief of Police Josh Mays. “Our goal is to promote a safe and secure environment for all members of our community.”
“Freedom from discrimination, harassment and violence are basic, fundamental rights and we refute all instances of intolerance and abusive behaviors. The threats made are fundamentally against who we are as a community,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre. “We are grateful for and thank the University Police and also the District Attorney’s office for working collaboratively and quickly to identify the individual responsible and pursue criminal charges.”
As a result of recent incidents, the school says they’ve implemented a number of changes including increasing police patrols at the Black Resource Center.
“Every single member of our community should be free from discrimination, harassment and violence,” SDSU Chief Diversity Officer, J. Luke Wood said.
The threats were sent via Snapchat, one after another, popping up from a stranger on C.J. Simmons’ phone.
More than videos, the sender snapped a message using the N-word. “Things like this need to stop. I shouldn’t have to worry about where I walk on campus,” Simmons said.
