A UCF student was arrested Tuesday and charged with two felonies after he was found to have a fully automatic AR-15 assault rifle in his vehicle on campus residence, police said.
Following an anonymous tip UCF Police arrested Max Bennett Chambers, 19, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and charged him with possession of an AR-15 assault rifle and a bump fire stock, UCFPD Chief Carl Metzger said in a news conference Wednesday.
“At no time did Chambers express any threat to the University community,” Metzger said. “We believe he’s an enthusiast who put his interest in firearms above complying with the law.”
Chambers was booked into the Orange County Jail Tuesday and held on $5,150 bond. He posted bond at 1:16 p.m. Wednesday, according to the jail.
Chambers was trespassed from campus and given an interim suspension, but will get a chance to have a hearing and the university will make a final decision accordingly, Metzger said.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement test fired the weapon and confirmed that it was fully automatic.
In addition to the AR-15, Chambers had three Drop-in auto sear’s devices, used to convert weapons to be fully automatic, knives that violated student policy, and several other weapons that were legal, Metzger said.
In spring 2018 Chambers was reported to UCFPD who found a part of a firearm in his possession, which was not illegal but violated campus policy, according to a UCF press release.
“At that time UCF’s policy and state laws regarding firearms were explained very clearly to him,” Metzger said. “He knowingly and flagrantly disregarded the law and that is unacceptable to us.”
The Anonymous tip came through Crimeline, a service that lets people report crimes anonymously and receive rewards for information they provide. Through a program called Gun Bounty, Crimeline offers anyone who gives a tip that leads to an arrest, a firearm being seized and firearms charges, a $1000 reward in addition to any other reward, said Barb Bergin, executive director of Crimeline .
Metzger reiterated the importance of being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity on campus.
“We always preach, if you see something say something and we’ll do something,” Metzger said. “And in this case it all worked … Don’t ignore that gut feeling that something is wrong.”