Man arrested after carrying gun during UT protests, court documents say
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police with the University of Texas at Austin arrested Michael David Maule, 26, after they said he carried a gun on UT’s campus during a protest on April 29, according to an arrest affidavit.
According to court documents, the Austin Police Department received a report of “two protesters armed with guns.”
DPS sent 115 personnel on first day of protests at UT Austin
Police received descriptions of the individuals and approached them separately near the Main Building at UT. Court documents state officers found Maule with a gun on his waistband with one bullet in the chamber, and two loaded magazines in his pocket, as well as a pocket knife.
Attorney information for Maule was not immediately made available. KXAN will update this story when that changes and we can reach out to his lawyers.
Maule was detained and searched while being arrested for Criminal Trespass, according to the affidavit. Police found he did not have a license to carry, which “is required to possess a firearm on the premises of a post-secondary educational institution,” court documents read.
Other protest arrests
Since the first demonstration on April 24, the UT campus has been the site of several other protests. Over 100 people have been arrested in connection with events on campus.
Attorneys with the Austin Lawyers Guild said they’re representing all arrested protesters, including students and non-students.
“We are planning on asserting speedy trial rights so that we get to a trial in the summer and get these cases set for a jury,” said George Lobb, one of the attorneys representing protesters.
UT Board of Regents respond to DPS presence at campus protests
On the first day of the protests, DPS sent a total of 115 staffers to UT. Fifty-seven people were arrested that day. The University requested the law enforcement presence as it learned of the nature of the protests, UT previously told KXAN.
This week, UT’s Board of Regents responded to that decision.
“Many have questioned the use of law enforcement from outside agencies. To be clear, no president in the UT system made those decisions on their own. The chancellor and I and this board are always involved in those decisions. They were the right decision, and we will do it again, if needed,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT Board of Regents.
UT said it “has extensive safety and security protocols in place for all large-scale events, including our main graduation ceremony inside Royal-Memorial Stadium,” and did not mention any planned disruptions when we asked about graduation weekend.
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