Case # 17HF1442
Date: April 19, 2018
FORMER SOKA UNIVERSITY STUDENT CONVICTED OF THREATENING MASS SHOOTING ON YOUTUBE AND IN EMAILS
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former Soka University (Soka) student was convicted today of threatening a mass shooting on YouTube and in emails to a staff member.
|
Defendant |
Charges |
Maximum Sentence |
Court Date |
|
David Kenneth Smith, 40, Los Angeles |
Convicted by a jury today of:
|
Three years in state prison |
Sentencing June 1, 2018, 9:00 a.m. Department C-30, Central Jail, Santa Ana |
Circumstances of the Case
- Smith is a former student of Soka who posted videos on YouTube while holding firearms, praising the perpetrators of recent mass shootings, and discussing the possibility of carrying out an attack.
- On Oct. 31, 2017, Smith sent emails to a staff member at Soka that threatened violence and included a link to one of his videos, which shows the defendant lying in his bathtub with a firearm on his chest. In the video, Smith talks about his conflicts with Soka administration while he was attending, and voices his aggression towards the university.
- The staff member reported the messages and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) investigated this case.
- OCSD arrested Smith at his Los Angeles apartment on Nov. 2, 2017. Smith possessed nine loaded firearms at the time of his arrest.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Brett Brian, Special Prosecutions Unit