2 Cal Poly students arrested for allegedly having cache of weapons, ammunition on campus

Two Cal Poly students were arrested Saturday after they were allegedly found in possession of two guns, other weapons and ammunition on campus.

According to a Clery Act notification sent to the campus community on Thursday, Charles Hojaboom and Brandon Pham were arrested on suspicion of violations of California weapons laws, including possession of a concealed loaded pistol, a shotgun and various weapons and ammunition.

The Clery Act requires higher education institutions to disclose information about crimes on and around campus.

According to university spokesman Matt Lazier, Cal Poly officers on patrol heard gunshots in the Poly Canyon Village area around 10:15 p.m. on Saturday. He said at the same time, police dispatch “received several 911 calls from residents reporting the noises.”

Lazier said officers found Hojaboom and Pham along Poly Canyon Road in possession of a shotgun and a loaded, concealed pistol. The officers also found a campus sign along the road with bullet holes, he said.

There were no injuries reported in connection with the incident. In an updated notice sent to the campus community on Friday morning, the university added that “all indications are that the students were firing at targets and not people.”

Lazier said the two students were arrested and taken to San Luis Obispo County Jail, and the university was informed that they were booked on several felony and misdemeanor charges, including weapons and vandalism charges.

During a search of Hojaboom and Pham’s on-campus residences, police also located and confiscated additional weapons, according to the notice. Referral of additional weapons violations have also been made, the notice said.

Police did not indicate which housing community the students lived in, or what their year and majors are.

Both students have since been released from custody on bail but are barred from campus, according to the notice.

Anyone who sees them in or around campus, is asked to call 911 or the Cal Poly Police Department at 805-756-2281.

Lazier said the matter has also been referred to the university’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

“The safety of our campus community is a top priority for Cal Poly and, with few exceptions, firearms are not permitted on campus,” he said. “In the interest of safety, the university has removed both students from campus while the matter moves through both the criminal justice system and the university’s student conduct process.”

In the updated notice sent out on Friday, university officials said the initial Clery Act notice was sent out after the students had bailed out of jail “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Please know the university is taking the matter seriously, understands the concerns of the campus community and is taking all appropriate actions to maintain the safety of our university,” the notice concluded.