Explosives found in UC Davis dorm room
Eric Cheung, left, Selisa Ramirez, center and Israil Ruiz, right, students at the University of California, Davis, try to sleep in the dinning commons, Thursday, where they spent the night after being evacuated. Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
March 7, 2008
DAVIS, Calif. – Police evacuated the Tercero residence halls Wednesday night after receiving a call that a UC Davis student was in possession of explosives.
First-year economics major Mark Woods, 18, of Torrance, Calif., was charged with possession of chemicals to make explosives and possession of explosives on school grounds, according to a UC Davis news report.
The explosives were found on the third floor of the Tercero “D” Building, said UC Davis Student Housing Director Emily Galindo in a telephone interview.
Over 450 students spent the night in the Tercero Dining Commons while police called law enforcement officials from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist the investigation and safely remove the explosives, the report states.
Police received a call at approximately 9 p.m. Wednesday night from a woman who reported that there might be explosives in a student’s room.
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Police Captain Joyce Souza told The Sacramento Bee that officials discovered “bomb-making materials” and two empty pipe bomb shells in the room. While Souza did not give further details, she told the newspaper that it was “bad stuff.”
It is unclear whether the explosives posed an immediate threat to the campus and no emergency alert was sent Wednesday evening. As of 10:33 a.m. Thursday, law enforcement officials remained on the site.
Woods is being held by the UC Davis Police Department.
Tatiana Jones, a sophomore psychology major, said she has taken two elementary Russian courses with Woods this year, but has not noticed anything peculiar about him.
“He was quiet [and] very cordial,” Jones said. “He seemed really interested in Russian. I didn’t find anything strange [about him].”
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Galindo said Student Housing has not yet been given “full clearance” to allow students to return to their Tercero residence halls.
Galindo said the student residence hall contract explicitly prohibits the materials Woods possessed.
“Our residence hall contracts it indicates which items are strictly forbidden; explosive devices are listed there,” she said.
UC Davis had just tested its emergency alert system last week.
