Gun threat at Sig Nu

Four non-university males, one of whom was concealing a knife, threatened to return with a firearm after they were turned away from a party at Sigma Nu fraternity Friday night.

According to Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) Sergeant Doug Mazzola, the local resident "alleged that he was going to come back with a weapon and more friends" upon being asked to leave by several Sigma Nu brothers.

TUPD officers responded to a call from the fraternity at 12:02 a.m., Mazzola said, and detained the offending individuals until they had been identified and were checked for outstanding arrest warrants. According to the police report, at some point during the incident, one of the youths threw a knife to the ground.

Once officers confirmed that the men had no arrest warrants outstanding against the youths, they were given a trespassing warning and turned away.

The incident started when sophomore Sigma Nu brother Alex Allen was checking IDs at the door when the four men arrived. "They weren't Tufts students and they were using foul language," he said. "They rolled up in a car. I asked them to show their Tufts IDs but they didn't have them."

The men tried to joke with him, Allen said, telling him "what they were majoring in" and trying to be "cute." When they were asked to leave, the men threatened to return with firearms and several death threats were made, according to Allen.

"They said something like 'I'm going back to Arlington to get my peeps and my gun,'" Allen said. "It was a definite gun threat."

The four males, residents of Somerville, Cambridge, and Western Massachusetts, ranged in age from 16 to 20, according to Mazzola. "I don't think they had absolutely any connection to the fraternity," Mazzola said. "They just happened to park their vehicle there and were looking for a party. There was no indication that they were invited at all."

Earlier in the evening, according to Sigma Nu brother Ahmed Saad, the backdoor of the house had been spray-painted. The fraternity was also burglarized in September, losing an estimated $900 worth of electronics.

Although there is no indication that the three incidents are related, Sigma Nu brothers are weary of the increasing difficulties they have encountered with non-University youths in recent months.

Junior Jordan Klein, a Sigma Nu brother, sees all campus fraternities as potential targets for such incidents. "I think all the Tufts frats are targeted by these guys." Klein said. "They just want to drink for free. They like to fight."

Klein said that local youths often attempt to enter fraternity parties, sometimes by force. Saad agreed, but added that such confrontations are usually less serious than Friday night's. "I definitely don't feel threatened," Saad said.

Mazzola said that Sigma Nu brothers effectively dealt with the incident. "All [those] involved did everything right," he said. "The brothers at the door stopped them and called the police. We responded and were able to get them away before it escalated."

Sigma Nu brothers agreed, expressing gratitude for the quick response of the TUPD. "I'm really happy with the help the cops gave us," Saad said.