UConn police: Two students facing charges in connection with campus vandalism following basketball championship

UConn police have arrested a student and filed additional charges against another one in connection with destruction at the Storrs campus the night the university’s men’s basketball team won a national championship.

A UConn spokesperson on Tuesday said Jose Gabriel Oliveras Suarez, 19, and Justin Randall Tatsapaugh, 20, were charged for their alleged roles in a celebration that resulted in thousands of dollars of damage to the University of Connecticut.

Tatsapaugh was already one of 15 people arrested for several acts of vandalism in the late hours of April 3 and into the morning. He was charged last week with first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree breach of peace and second-degree reckless endangerment after authorities reportedly identified him as the suspect who repeatedly struck a UConn police cruiser with a metal bollard pole, causing $2,500 in damages, according to a UConn spokesperson. Tatsapaugh also allegedly threw metal chairs against glass windows of the campus student union, a police report indicated.

The 20-year-old is free from custody and is expected to appear in Rockville Superior Court next Thursday.

Tatsapaugh had already been charged with first-degree riot, third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace from his arrest on April 4.

Suarez, police reports indicate, was allegedly one of several individuals who helped flip a UConn van outside the Benton Museum of Art. The damage to the van was estimated at about $20,000.

Suarez faces charges of first-degree riot, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree criminal mischief. He is free from custody and is expected to be arraigned next Tuesday.

Stephanie Reitz, the spokesperson for UConn, said Tuesday the school cannot disclose whether students arrested in connection with the national championship celebration will face discipline imposed by the university, citing federal student privacy laws.

“Generally speaking, though, students found to have violated the code can face sanctions up to and including expulsion,” Reitz said.

Reitz added that more arrests are still anticipated. A final estimate as to the cost of all the damages is still not available, as the university is awaiting invoices for some repairs. Additionally, further damage continues to be found around campus.