Campus Alert Archive
UCF

Gun at the Bus Stop: Armed Man Threatens Lynx Driver, Triggering Hour-Long UCF Campus Lockdown

FLarmed personemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of January 19, 2024, a man pulled a handgun on a Lynx bus driver near Parking Garage A on UCF's main campus after being denied entry to the bus. The suspect fled on a bicycle, prompting a campus-wide shelter-in-place order at 8:07 PM EST. UCF police located and arrested Takuya Leon Takahashi, 27, within an hour using patrol officers and campus surveillance cameras. No shots were fired.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Central Florida
Public R1 · FL
~70,000 studentsUCF Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatim@UCFPolice official Twitter/X post (verbatim)122 chars
#UCFAlert: Armed intruder reported near Parking Garage A. Police responding. Avoid the area or shelter in place if nearby.
Posted verbatim by @UCFPolice on X/Twitter at 8:07 PM EST on January 19, 2024, paralleling the UCF Alert SMS push
The '#UCFAlert' hashtag is the standard prefix used by UCFPD for all emergency notifications, intended to be searchable on X/Twitter during a crisis
Naming 'Parking Garage A' gave shelter-takers actionable geographic information rather than a generic 'main campus' boundary
The alert triggered access control protocols on all campus buildings, effectively locking down the main campus
ALL CLEARTwitter/X+56 min
Verified verbatim@UCFPolice official X account (quoted verbatim in multiple news reports)78 chars
#UCFAlert: ALL CLEAR. Suspect with weapon in custody. Shelter in place lifted.
Quoted verbatim by multiple news outlets (Spectrum News 13, WFTV, WDBO) from the @UCFPolice X post issued at approximately 9:03 PM EST on January 19, 2024
Police used campus surveillance cameras and patrol units to locate Takahashi on the main campus
Context

Background

On the evening of January 19, 2024, UCF Police received a 911 call from a Lynx bus driver at a station near Parking Garage A reporting a belligerent man who had threatened the driver with a gun after being denied boarding. The suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Takuya Leon Takahashi of Rochester, New York, fled the scene on a bicycle before officers arrived. A campus-wide shelter-in-place order was issued at 8:07 PM EST, and all campus buildings were placed on access control. UCF police, using patrol officers and surveillance cameras, located Takahashi on the main campus and took him into custody without incident. His firearm was recovered nearby. The all-clear was issued at 9:03 PM EST. Takahashi was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon on school property and had no affiliation with UCF. At a first court appearance, bond was set at $5,000 per charge, and Takahashi was ordered to stay away from the campus and have no contact with the victim.
Analysis

Key Findings

The suspect had no connection to UCF and threatened a public transit bus driver at a station within the campus perimeter
The 56-minute lockdown affected one of the largest universities in the nation by enrollment
UCF's surveillance camera network was instrumental in locating the suspect on foot after he abandoned his bicycle
Outcome
Takahashi was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon on school property. Bond was set at $5,000 per charge. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim and not to return to the campus. Takahashi had no affiliation with UCF.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Social
    @UCFPolice official X/Twitter — #UCFAlert posts for January 19, 2024 armed intruder incident
    x.com
  2. News
    UCF police respond to reports of armed intruder on campus (Spectrum News 13)
    mynews13.com
  3. News
    Gunman threatens bus driver on UCF campus, prompting lockdown (Click Orlando)
    clickorlando.com
  4. News
    UCF Police: Armed intruder in custody near UCF campus (Fox 35 Orlando)
    fox35orlando.com
  5. Student Paper
    Armed intruder, now identified by UCFPD, has no UCF tie (NSM Today)
    nicholsonstudentmedia.com
  6. News
    UCF bus driver threatened by armed man, campus put in lockdown (WTSP)
    wtsp.com
Tags
armed-personcampus-lockdownfloridapublic-transitno-shots-firedsurveillance-camerasnon-affiliate
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion