Police: Greenwich man arrested after racist, homophobic rant at California university

Dayton Kingery Dayton Kingery Photo: Orange, Calif., Police Department / Courtesy CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Photo: Orange, Calif., Police Department / Courtesy CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Police: Greenwich man arrested after racist, homophobic rant at California university 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

GREENWICH — A 21-year-old Greenwich man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly went on a booze-fueled rant, shouting racist and homophobic slurs in a California university classroom on Tuesday, with it all captured on a cellphone video that has gone viral.

Dayton Kingery, a student at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., was charged with a felony vandalism count for allegedly destroying another student’s computer, according to Orange Police Sgt. Phil McMullin. Kingery also was charged with resisting arrest, making criminal threats and elder abuse after he allegedly tangled with an older campus safety officer.

“You don’t know who I am, guys,” Kingery can be heard saying in a video taken by a classmate in an economics class. “I’m not kidding … I’m worth like $50 million.”

Kingery, a Brunswick School alum, was arrested Tuesday and released from custody by Wednesday morning. By Thursday afternoon, he was no longer a student at Chapman University.

The video posted on Reddit and shared widely on social media shows Kingery saying, “I (expletive) hate (n word).” Classmates tell him to be quiet and leave. Kingery brags that he has been drinking rum and shouts a homophobic slur at the other students, who escort him out of the classroom. After he leaves, he is seen in videos stomping on a backpack containing another student’s laptop in the hallway.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO (Warning: Explicit Language)

Sgt. McMullin said Orange police were called by campus security about Kingery’s behavior. The sergeant said Kingery appeared to be intoxicated during the episode, and he was combative with officers while he was taken into custody. Video shows three officers carrying the man off campus with his hands and feet bound.

Jim Kingery, the student’s father, said Thursday by phone, “Dayton is a great kid. Right now we’re focused on getting him the help he needs.” He declined further comment, while noting that a statement and more information could be released at a later time. Jim Kingery said he was still trying to get information on the legal issues involved.

Chapman University President Daniele C. Struppa in a statement said behavior like Kingery’s “is absolutely not tolerated.” On Thursday, the college president said Kingery was no longer enrolled at the college.

“We have had a difficult start to this semester with the student incident that took place during in a classroom on Tuesday. Racist and homophobic conduct will not be tolerated on this campus and we took decisive and swift action. As of this afternoon, the individual responsible for this incident is no longer a student at Chapman University,” Struppa said.

Earlier, the college president stated, “A disruption took place in a Chapman classroom that included racist and homophobic statements, along with inappropriate and disrespectful behavior. ... I want to extend my deepest apologies to the Black and LGBTQIA communities who were specifically targeted during today’s incident. ... February is a celebration of Black History Month. During a time used to honor the generations of African Americans who have struggled and sacrificed, I am disgusted that an incident like this took place on our campus. We must be better than this.”

Brunswick School posted an “Important Message” on its website Thursday about the incident involving its graduate.

“A very disturbing video has been posted on Twitter of a recent alumnus filmed while in a college class, making highly incendiary racial and homophobic statements,” said the statement from Headmaster Thomas W. Philip. “While the alumnus is almost four years out of Brunswick, this episode shows us once again that words and actions matter and reflect not only on the person making the statement/inciting the actions, but also on all with whom he is associated. ... That being said, Brunswick seeks to promote respect for everyone and has zero tolerance for hateful speech or behavior of any kind. We encourage our students to be contributors to a community that's inclusive and welcoming — and, after they graduate, we certainly hope those values remain a lifelong commitment.”

As a teen, Kingery traveled with three other Brunswick students to the village of Kitongo in Tanzania to volunteer at an orphanage and school run by The Janada L. Batchelor Foundation for Children.

— With Staff Reporter Viktoria Sundqvist

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com