Nicholas Benson

Nicholas Benson

We're learning more about a UC Davis student who's under arrest for allegedly making terrorist threats.

People who know 25-year-old Nicholas Benson, know he likes weapons.

"But it was more like 'he was a gun guy.' It wasn't like he's crazy," said Josh Albert, a friend of Benson's and fellow UC Davis student who witnessed his arrest.


When Davis Police got the call Friday night from family members that Benson was depressed, threatening violence and possibly suicidal, they asked for his cell phone number and called their negotiator.

"He hung up on the negotiator every time," said Lt. Paul Doroshov.

Still, police knew where Benson lived, and they knew where he parked his truck. So they waited until he showed.

"I heard the police shouting, and I heard the Taser go off," said one UC Davis student who witnessed the incident. "They were shouting 'get down on the ground.'"

Police say Benson, who is a wrestler, didn't cooperate.

"It was a struggle. It wasn't like a 10 second thing. It was like 45 seconds. He's a big kid," Albert said.

Police say Benson resisted, and went for the cab of his truck instead.

"They literally wrestled with him in the cab of his truck to keep him away from the weapons," said Lt. Doroshov.

And police say there were plenty of those in the truck: a loaded rifle, a loaded shotgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

On Sunday, people in the neighborhood of 4th and A Streets where the incident happened say they feel a tragedy may have been averted by preventative policing.

"I never suspected a problem. But if he was going to shoot-up the school, my applause to the police," Albert said.

And with images of the tragedy in Tucson still fresh in their minds, Davis Police say, they will always treat these kinds of calls as legitimate until they have reason to believe otherwise.

"I think in this case we can thank the family members for calling it in, and the officers who resounded," Doroshov said.   

Benson was arrested on charges of making terrorist threats, obstructing and resisting officers, carrying a loaded weapon in a public place, and possession of an illegal assault weapon. He is sitting in the Yolo County Jail facing a $1 Million bail.