VA Tech police make arrest following social media threat

BLACKSBURG, VA (WWBT) - Virginia Tech and Blacksburg Police have made an arrest in a case involving the post of a threatening message on

Tuesday night.

Kiung Moon turned himself in to Virginia Tech police after an investigation identified him as a suspect in the case. Moon, a 21-year-old senior majoring in business information technology at the university, is charged with one count of harassment by computer. The charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The investigation stemmed from a message posted on Yik Yak around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, referencing the April 16, 2007 mass shooting at the university. The message read, "Another 4.16 moment is going to happen tomorrow. Just a warning." The posting prompted the university to issue a crime alert to the Blacksburg campus community, out of an abundance of caution, the university said. University police said they did not believe the posting on Yik Yak to be a credible threat, and the university did not cancel classes Wednesday.

“This case is another example of how well our two departments work together,” said Virginia Tech Police Chief Kevin Foust. “As always, both departments had the safety and security of the communities of Virginia Tech and Blacksburg fully in mind. Investigators developed the evidence, followed it where it led, and made the arrest.”

“Many people believe social media sites like Yik Yak are 100 percent anonymous,” said Town of Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson. “People need to be aware that if you're going to engage in this type of behavior, we are going to aggressively investigate. It is also important to keep in mind this threat did not specifically mention Virginia Tech. We share the same concern as the Virginia Tech police that mass violence could occur anywhere in our communities. We owe it to all to work together to solve these incidents.”