A new search warrant reveals more details about a man arrested at North Carolina State University in September for waving a gun in the air on Hillsborough Street.
Around 12:15 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, NC State police said they received a report of a man waving a handgun in the air near the Chipotle at 2316 Hillsborough St.
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Student witnesses claimed the man was asking students, "What is the 'rapiest' frat on campus?" When the students asked him why, the man pulled a small, black pistol out of his waistband, waving it around and stating he would "teach them a lesson," the warrant describes.
According to police, the man walked away toward Fraternity Court.
After the incident was reported, an NC State police officer spotted a man fitting the students' description of the suspect and stopped him along Thurman Drive.
The warrant states the man admitted to the officer it was he who asked about the frat house. He also said, "I have a gun."
The police officer removed a loaded Ruger Max-9 from the man's waistband along with a gun magazine and several loose bullets, according to the warrant.
Zachary Olson, 24, of Cary, was charged with felony carrying a gun on educational property and misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon.
Olson admitted he wanted to seek "vigilante justice" on rapists in college fraternities, according to the warrant. When asked by the officer if he planned to kill people, he said "yes" then changed his answer to "no," the warrant states.
The warrant also describes an interview with Olson after his arrest.
In the interview, Olson told investigators his ex-girlfriend was raped by a fraternity member at Clemson University. Olson said his ex-girlfriend reported the rape to police but decided not to pursue the investigation because she had to recount her story.
In September, WRAL News reported Olson told the students he stopped that he was feeling the pain of sexual assault victims and that he was "misguided and stupid." Olson also said he had burned himself with matches to experience pain of sexual assault victims.
Olson, a law student at Campbell University, worked at the Wake County District Attorney's Office but is no longer employed there, according to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.
The university confirmed he was not an NC State student or employee.
According to state prosecutors, Olson had just purchased the gun a day earlier. From his car, police confiscated an empty box of ammunition, documents citing the purchase of a firearm and a used target.
If you are a victim of sexual assault, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or online.rainn.org. Wake County residents can call the InterAct sexual assault hotline at 919-828-3005 or 866-291-0853 (toll-free).
For a full list of county-by-county resources, click here.