Man arrested for harassing University of Arizona student

TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson man was arrested after officials said he used social media to threaten to rape and kill a University of Arizona student, then tried to run her over the police.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Caleb Alfred Tifft, 29, was arrested May 8 by the FBI's Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force.

Authorities said Tifft began threatening and stalking the victim, a university student, on February 7. At that point, Tifft sent her a message on the Facebook Messenger app in which he said, “I think I'm just going to rape and kill a girl at this point.” I'm giving up. I'm the bad guy.

The following day, an anti-harassment injunction was issued against Tifft which required him to have no contact with the victim.

The University of Arizona also banned him from its campuses and properties for a year.

Authorities said that on March 1, Tifft continued to harass the victim by attempting to run her over.

Tiff called 911 and told the dispatcher that her friend was in a specific building on the University of Arizona campus and that this friend was planning to commit a mass shooting. The phone call ended before it could be sent to university police, but the phone number used to make the call was identified as Tifft's.

Later that day, Tifft called the campus police department to claim his friend was in the same building as before and was planning to commit a mass shooting. In that call, he specifically identified the victim as the potential shooter and said she was inside the campus building he had identified. He then ended the call.

“A UAPD officer familiar with Tifft from interacting with him previously listened to the recorded call and determined that the voice matched Tifft’s,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “The phone number associated with the call was the same number used to contact PCSD.”

Tifft was charged with cyberstalking and transmitting interstate threats. Each carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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