The Emory Police Department (EPD) arrested Derek Zika on the Emory University Quadrangle at 2:55 p.m. on April 28 during a pro-Palestine protest. Zika, who is not affiliated with Emory, was carrying knives and pepper spray when EPD arrested him. Additionally, police obtained a warrant to search Zika’s vehicle and found a hatchet, an axe and two knives inside a bag that also contained survival gear. EPD transported Zika to the DeKalb County Jail.
Already a convicted felon, Zika was charged with possession of a weapon in a school safety zone, criminal trespass, obstructing a law enforcement officer and crossing state lines with weapons, intoxicants or drugs.
Zika is from Statesville, N.C., according to DeKalb County booking records. The arrest records list him as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds.
The University released a statement informing the Emory community of Zika’s arrest this evening.
In the past several days, Emory has added security cameras and lighting to “key campus locations” that EPD will monitor 24/7. The University has also limited access to buildings to card access holders only. Additionally, EPD will implement heightened security measures with a special focus on the Quad, including increased officer patrols and visibility of uniformed officers.
On April 27, Zika gave a speech on the Quad in which he said that anyone who tries to de-escalate is “selling out the people of Gaza.”
“You are fighting a war,” Zika said in his speech. “Fight to win.”
Later that night, Zika attempted to get protestors to stay on the Quad past midnight, although law enforcement arrived to remove demonstrators from the Quad at midnight on April 27. Additionally, campus spaces cannot be reserved for protests past 11:59 p.m.
However, protestors ultimately vacated the Quad before midnight after unidentified individuals spray painted messages such as “DEATH 2 [ISRAEL]” on Convocation Hall. The unidentified individuals, who also spray painted an Emory Wheel reporter’s arm, are not believed to be Emory community members, according to Vice President of Communications and Marketing Luke Anderson. Other protestors present at the time condemned the spray painters’ actions.
The next day, EPD issued six criminal trespass warnings to non-Emory affiliated individuals for suspected involvement in “criminal activity” on campus the previous evening.
