A Tucson man has copped to charges he threatened a mass shooting at the University of Arizona, the feds said. Michael Pengchung Lee, 27, entered a guilty plea Wednesday to a felony for making interstate threats via Snapchat, where he spewed his intent to target the college over his self-described incel angst, authorities revealed.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lee is not a student at the university, however, on October 23, 2023, he made it clear in a group chat that he sought bloody revenge, stating "im gonna do it guys, my mind is made up, and there’s nothing u can do or say to stop me." His tirade against "all the chads and stacies!!" and other incel rhetoric echo the language of a subculture linked to several violent incidents nationwide.
Lee could be slapped with up to five years behind bars, a fine of $250,000, or both, after his July 3 sentencing. The charge also could land him a supervised release for a maximum of three years. At the plea hearing, he confessed to dispatching multiple threats on October 22, 2023, and in additional messages, referenced a well-known mass shooter and incel ideologue, officials said.
"We must protect the intellectual rigor, diversity, and safety of our universities," U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino stressed. Restaino praised the community for stepping up and reporting the threats, as well as the swift action by law enforcement partners at the University of Arizona Police Department and the FBI. The FBI's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge, Akil Davis, echoed the sentiment, expressing gratitude to the community members who reported Lee's threats and insisted students should study without fear or hate.
Commending the interagency cooperation, University of Arizona Police Chief Chris Olson highlighted the urgency with which the university police, the UA Office of Public Safety, and federal partners respond to such threats. The FBI and the University of Arizona Police Department were involved in the investigation as part of the FBI's Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rossi handling the prosecution of the case numbered CR-23-01694-TUC-RM.
