A person was arrested on the De Anza College campus in Cupertino after officers noticed suspicious behavior and, upon making contact, discovered the suspect was carrying an axe. A records check also turned up an outstanding felony warrant, according to police.
Suspicious Behavior Leads to Multiple Charges
Police officers with the De Anza Community College District Police Department made contact with the person after spotting them acting suspiciously on campus, according to NBC Bay Area. During that encounter, officers found the suspect was carrying an axe, along with suspected methamphetamine and heroin, per police. The outlet reports that a records check also revealed the person had an outstanding felony warrant.
Officers additionally found drug paraphernalia and loaded hypodermic needles on the suspect, per the same account. The person was taken into custody and ultimately booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail, facing multiple drug, weapons and warrant-related charges, per authorities. The De Anza Community College District Police Department reported the arrest to the outlet.
What California Law Says About Weapons on Campus
Under California Penal Code Section 626.10, bringing or possessing prohibited weapons — including dirks, daggers, stun guns, or knives with blades exceeding 2.5 inches — onto a public community college campus is a wobbler offense, meaning it can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony carrying up to three years in state prison, according to the Shouse Law Group. Separately, California Health and Safety Code treats unauthorized possession of controlled substances such as methamphetamine or heroin as a criminal offense, per the The Saratoga Falcon.
A Fully Sworn Campus Police Force
The Foothill-De Anza Community College District Police Department is a California POST-certified law enforcement agency, according to Foothill De-Anza Police.
De Anza College is located in Cupertino and serves roughly 17,425 full-time and part-time students, according to Niche, making it one of the larger community colleges in the Santa Clara Valley. The department also conducts safety outreach and encourages students and staff to report suspicious behavior, per the department's own materials.
Colleges including De Anza publish an Annual Security Report detailing campus crime statistics and emergency procedures.
It is not the first weapons-related arrest to make headlines near the college this year — in September 2025, Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 24-year-old San Jose man during a traffic stop on N. De Anza Boulevard in Cupertino after finding illegal ghost guns inside his vehicle. Hoodline previously reported that Jose L. Hernandez was on court probation and had other driving-related issues, as Hoodline previously reported.
The suspect's affiliation with De Anza College, the specific felony underlying the outstanding warrant, and whether any explicit threats were made while the axe was on campus remain unclear based on currently available information.
