Officials: Bond denied for VT student after trying to buy 5,000 rounds of ammunition

BLACKSBURG, VA (WWBT) - A Virginia Tech student who allegedly had an assault rifle and attempted to buy 5,000 rounds of ammunition was arrested Monday, according to NBC affiliate WSLS.

Yunsong Zhao, 19, was charged with possessing or transporting an assault firearm while not being a  U.S. citizen or while not being lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the U.S, according to the arrest warrant.

"At no time during this investigation did police believe there was any threat to our community, nor is there one now," Virginia Tech said in a statement Tuesday. The university said that the arrest came after weeks of investigation.

A judge denied bond for Zhao on Thursday. Officials say it's illegal for him to possess that kind of weapon due to his student visa status.

The president of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at the university has been in contact with Zhao's parents in China, who say Zhao likes to show off.

"He likes to buy all those kind of guns because we are not allowed to have guns in China, and he thinks cop cars are kind of cool, as far as I know, that's the best thing I could come up with," said Shul Chen, VT Assoc. of Chinese Students & Scholars.

Zhao had only been in the U.S. seven months before his arrest on Monday, and he has since been expelled from Virginia Tech.

He previously had no known criminal history and lived in Cochrane Hall, according to the warrant.

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