Two male non-University of Tampa students, ages 25 and 21, were detained and trespassed from campus after a UT officer observed them riding their bikes outside of Straz Hall. As the officer obtained identification of the males, the 25-year-old handed a concealed weapons permit and said that he had a handgun in his right pocket.
For his own safety, the UT officer handcuffed and detained the two males, and the Tampa Police Department was contacted. Although the detained male had a concealed weapons permit, it is still a second-degree misdemeanor to carry a firearm onto any campus.
According to the campus officer, the men had no criminal background, but the one carrying the gun will face a court date. The non-UT students are not allowed back on any part of school premises, and if they are seen, it is grounds for immediate arrest.
The campus officer believes that the two males were looking to pickup UT female students, as he spotted one of them peering through a Straz side window.
Kyle Bennett can be reached at kbennett.ut@gmail.com.