Anton Shirokov, the UCR student who posted a threat of violence against the campus on Sunday night on the social media app Yik Yak, is awaiting his next court date of June 22, having been released on bail the day of his arrest.
According to UCPD Assistant Chief of Police John Freese, Shirokov is being charged with possession of metal knuckles and felony criminal threat, the latter of which is punishable by up to four years in a California state prison. However, criminal threat charges, which Freese referred to as “wobblers,” can be filed as either misdemeanors or felonies.
“The police normally file the greater classification, a felony, which is what we did with Shirokov,” Freese explained. The district attorney will now make the final decision about what charges Shirokov is formally charged with, based on factors such as criminal history and the severity of the crime.
Shirokov is no longer attending classes at UCR, according to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Jim Sandoval.
