Campus Alert Archive
UTA

Four Residence Halls Emptied on a January Night: UTA Students Flee to the Maverick Activities Center

TXbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On January 29, 2024, the University of Texas at Arlington received multiple bomb threats targeting four residence halls, forcing hundreds of students into the cold. Campus police ordered evacuations of Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks at 6:14 PM CST. After a two-hour search, investigators deemed the threats not credible and issued an all-clear around 8:30 PM.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Texas at Arlington
Public R1 · TX
~40,000 studentsMavAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimUTA Police verified X account134 chars
Urgent MavAlert! UTA Police investigating multiple bomb threats on campus. Evacuate Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, Arbor Oaks.
Posted to UTA Police's verified X account on January 29, 2024 — the public-facing version of the MavAlert push notification sent to students
Lists all four housing facilities targeted by the threats but omits any guidance on where to shelter; the Maverick Activities Center direction came through residence-life staff and follow-up messaging
A second MavAlert (sequence 2) at X status/1752129270359494970 added 'Stay away from area' as police continued to search all four buildings
UPDATETwitter/X
Verified verbatim@UTAPolice official X account (second MavAlert tweet, verbatim)160 chars
Urgent MavAlert! UTA Police continue to investigate bomb threats on campus. Evacuate Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks. Stay away from area.
Posted to UTA Police's verified X account on January 29, 2024 as a follow-up to the initial evacuation order
The update reiterates the evacuation and adds 'Stay away from area' — indicating ongoing active search of all four buildings
This tweet is cited in the X URL: status/1752129270359494970
ALL CLEARTwitter/X+2h 11m
Verified verbatim@UTAPolice official X account (quoted verbatim in multiple news reports including NBC DFW, KLTV, and Audacy/KRLD)153 chars
Urgent MavAlert! UTA Police have issued ALL CLEAR of Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall and Arbor Oaks. Students may return. Resume normal operations.
Quoted verbatim from @UTAPolice X post; issued at approximately 8:25 PM CST on January 29, 2024 after investigators concluded the threats were not credible
The all-clear came approximately two hours after the initial evacuation order at 6:14 PM CST
UTA made counseling and mental health services available to affected students
Context

Background

On the evening of January 29, 2024, the University of Texas at Arlington received multiple bomb threats targeting four student housing facilities: Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks. UTA Police issued a MavAlert at 6:14 PM CST ordering immediate evacuations. Displaced students were directed to the Maverick Activities Center while law enforcement conducted searches. Graduate student Dharsan Kannan, who lived at Meadow Run, told reporters he rushed out with only his passport when the alarm rang. Investigators determined the threats were not credible and issued an all-clear around 8:30 PM. The incident occurred on the same night that Texas State University in San Marcos also received bomb threats to its residence halls, suggesting a coordinated wave of hoax threats targeting Texas universities.
Analysis

Key Findings

Four student housing facilities were evacuated simultaneously after threats were posted on social media platform X
The threats came on the same night that Texas State University also received bomb threats, suggesting coordination
The two-hour evacuation displaced hundreds of students on a January evening, with the Maverick Activities Center serving as a staging area
Outcome
The threats were determined to be not credible after law enforcement searched all four buildings. Students returned to their residences and normal operations resumed. Counseling and mental health services were made available.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Bomb threats force evacuations in four university housing buildings (The Shorthorn)
    theshorthorn.com
  2. News
    Police: UT Arlington clear after multiple bomb threats (WFAA)
    wfaa.com
  3. News
    Texas universities issue all-clear after bomb threats prompt evacuations (CBS Texas)
    cbsnews.com
  4. News
    UT Arlington police give all clear to return to residences after no bomb found (KLTV)
    kltv.com
Tags
bomb-threatresidence-hallsevacuationhoaxtexascoordinated-threatssocial-media-threatHoax
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion