Fresno State football player arrested for writing threatening Yik Yak post

Jamie Altman | Chapman University

A freshman football player at Fresno State University was arrested on charges of a terrorist attack Nov. 2 for posting a threat on Yik Yak, an anonymous social media app, according to news updates from Fresno State.

Fresno State Police Chief David Huerta said in a press conference that the police became aware of a social media post at around noon on Nov. 2 that threatened violence on campus. The Yik Yak said that he was going to "release frustrations" at 3 p.m. with an M4 Carbine at a "hot blonde."

"Tired of dirty looks, get rejected, nd being talked abt bc how I dress," the Yik Yak read.

Huerta said that police officers were able to track down the phone number used to send the Yik Yak. From there, they worked with Yik Yak officials to obtain the IP address, which allowed them to find the sender of the post, Christian Pryor, an 18-year-old from Los Angeles.

Pryor, a wide receiver for the football team, is a business major at Fresno State and wants to become a sports agent, according to his profile on Fresno State Athletics.

At 2 p.m., police started interviewing Pryor, and by 2:30 p.m. they had taken him into custody at the Fresno County Jail. He has since been released from jail after posting a $20,000 bond, according to ABC News. He is facing state and possibly federal charges.

"It's a very sad day for Fresno State," Huerta said in the press conference.

In an email to the Fresno State community Tuesday morning, President Joseph Castro wrote that the school was prepared to shut down, but once the suspect was in custody and police confirmed he had acted alone, he felt it was safe to keep the school open.

"We are thankful that this situation did not escalate and we appreciate all who provided information that assisted the campus police and other law enforcement ... Our campus community is stronger and safer when we all work together and care for each other," he wrote.





This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.