CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — An Urbana resident has been accused of committing a hate crime on the University of Illinois campus following a series of erratic incidents over the past month.
On Wednesday, 39-year-old Tyler Kirkwood was taken into custody by the University of Illinois Police Department. The Champaign County State Attorney’s Office has brought hate crime charges against him. The charges arose after an Asian student at the university reported being pursued and threatened with violence earlier this week.
“His behaviors have been escalating to the point that he is dangerous,” said Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz
Wednesday’s event was the latest and not the sole incident Kirkwood is suspected to have been involved in. Campus police have responded to two additional disturbances attributed to him in the last month.
Currently, he’s being held at the Champaign County Correctional Center. As Rietz explains, all three situations included threats and racial harassment directed towards people on campus.
“It’s unfortunate that we are put in the position sometimes of using the criminal justice system to get people the mental health treatment that they need,” Rietz said.
That’s been the case for Kirkwood. He’s had three separate incidents on campus over the last 30-days.
The first came on April 30, when witnesses said Kirkwood was yelling threats outside a U of I sorority house.
“He was yelling he was going to burn the house down,” Rietz said. “And they took him to Carle at that time for an involuntary admission, and he stayed for a few days.”
Fast forward to May 15, and officials were called once again after Kirkwood yelled at people on Wright and Green Streets.
“In the course of that conversation, he said specifically that he was upset with foreign students and that he felt they were taking our land,” Rietz said.
The third incident happened the afternoon of May 28 on Springfield Avenue in Champaign and involved an Asian student. Rietz said Kirkwood asked the student for money, and that the student said he didn’t have any.
“In response to that, Mr. Kirkwood started using racial slurs and threatening him, saying, ‘I’m going to crack your head’ or ‘I should crack your head’ and ‘get out of this town,'” Rietz said.
Rietz also said Kirkwood followed the victim with an object that appeared to be knife or pipe. Police were then called again, and they arrested Kirkwood on campus.
He was then taken to the county jail, after Rietz’s Office decided his actions met the criteria of a hate crime.
“Alternatives have been tried. Involuntary and voluntary commitment, medication, supports have been tried and his behaviors are escalating,” Rietz said. “And so, this is what we feel we have to do to protect the public and to protect him.”
