He was arrested for wanting to shoot up UNCC. Now he's been spotted on other campuses, police say

Law enforcement agencies in two states have been on alert since a UNC Charlotte student who was banned from the campus after telling a doctor he wanted to shoot it up was seen on other school campuses, news reports say.

Police officers at the UNC School of the Arts found Matthew Saavedra, 20, on the Winston-Salem school's campus two days after he was released last Tuesday on bond, WGHP in High Point reported.

According to UNCSA Police Chief Frank Brinkley, UNCSA police officers encountered Saavedra on the campus.

“Mr. Saavedra was polite and cooperative, but due to his status with UNCC and the situation there, he was asked to leave and barred from campus," School of the Arts police chief Frank Brinkley told the station. "No weapons or suspicious materials were found on his person or in his vehicle during the encounter.”

The sheriff in Pulaski County, Va., meanwhile, said that last Thursday two detectives followed Saavedra's red Toyota into neighboring Carroll County, where he turned into Hillsville Elementary School, turned around and returned into Pulaski County.

"As a precaution, continual patrols were conducted in and around our county schools throughout the night to include a heavy presence during the start of the school day on Friday," Sheriff Mike Worrell told The Carroll News.

Law enforcement agencies in Stokes and Forsyth counties also increased security around schools, according to news reports.

Police learned of potential issues with Saavedra on March 3, when a police officer in King, where he lives, called UNCC police. Saavedra had told a doctor “he could not wait to buy a gun and shoot the university (UNCC) up,” adding that he was fascinated by school shootings, a search warrant states.

Police seized a laptop, posters, composition books and blueprints from Saavedra’s room but did not find any weapons, according to the search warrants. Winston-Salem police charged him with making a false report concerning mass violence on educational property.

North Carolina public records show no previous criminal charges against Saavedra.

Researcher Maria David contributed.

This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "He was arrested for wanting to shoot up UNCC. Now he's been spotted on other campuses, police say."