USC, UCLA received violent threats against Black students; cops deem hoaxes

USC and UCLA received violent threats against their Black students Thursday morning that police later deemed hoaxes.

A copy of the threat obtained by Morning, Trojan referenced Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman who was murdered on a North Carolina train in August. The case has ignited a firestorm among President Donald Trump and his allies, who have blamed the death on so-called soft-on-crime policies.

Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of murdering Zarutska, is Black.

"I just finished watching the stabbing video of Iryna Zarutska on Telegram and I have decided I have seen enough,” read part of the threat sent to UCLA. “It’s time for REAL attacks. So let me be VERY clear: I am going to shoot every ni**er I see at UCLA.”

It is unclear if the expletives were censored in the original threat, or who at UCLA received it. A spokesperson for the school did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

David Carlisle, assistant chief at USC’s Department of Public Safety, said a faculty member received a “very similar” threat to UCLA’s.

"The alleged threat in question has been confirmed — by both our own threat analysis as well as by federal law enforcement — to be a complete hoax with no credible basis,” wrote Erroll Southers, who heads safety and risk assurance at USC.

The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Several historically Black colleges and universities across the country shut down Thursday after receiving threats that were deemed hoaxes.

USC on Sunday evacuated two of its libraries after receiving a bomb threat, and multiple U.S. universities were subject to active shooter hoaxes in August.

The threats of violence came as the country reeled from the murder of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Tomo Chien can be reached at [email protected].