Man Who Sparked UTA Gun Scare Shares His Story
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
ARLINGTON (CBS11) - The man who sparked a gun scare and police reaction Wednesday tells CBS 11 he didn't intend to cause a panic. He said he is in the U.S. Army National Guard and a former UTA student.
We now know the man did not have a gun only a tripod and camera.
When we first saw him Wednesday on video as police searched his truck we were looking at the tripod he was carrying and wondering if it could be mistaken for a gun.
We were looking at his fatigues and wondering why he was wearing them. But look closer at the video and the sticker on the back of his truck cab tells the story: it's a U.S. Army logo.
The man police detained as a possible gunman asked us not to reveal his name.
He says he is a graduate of the UTA architecture program. He was videotaping an introduction of himself in front of the building as part of an entry into a contest.
The soldier told us he was actually visiting with students inside the architecture building when someone yelled there is a man with a gun outside.
He said he thought instantly his uniform may have scared someone.
The soldier told us he was completely cooperative with police and he even asked them to search his pick up truck just so they would feel more comfortable. The soldier was released within an hour.
He tells us the officers were completely professional and he completely understands why they reacted as they did.
The soldier was not charged with anything and said he wants people to know he videotaping the contest video for personal reasons and he doesn't want this to reflect badly on his army unit.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)