Campus Alert Archive
UIowa

Hawk Alert Fires for Knife-Wielding Man Near Van Allen Hall: Campus on Edge During Morning Classes

IAarmed personemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 4, 2024, the University of Iowa issued a Hawk Alert at 9:42 AM after reports of a man making threats with a knife near Van Allen Hall. The suspect, later identified as Jonathan Kim, 47, was wearing jeans and a dark jacket and was last seen near the science building.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Iowa
Public R1 · IA
~31,240 studentsHawk Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Iowa Emergency Updates page126 chars
HAWK ALERT: Male subject making threats with a knife wearing jeans and a dark jacket last seen near Van Allen, avoid the area.
Verbatim text confirmed from the University of Iowa Emergency Updates page
Van Allen Hall is a major science building on the east side of the Pentacrest, housing the Department of Physics and Astronomy
ALL CLEARSMS+53 min
Verified verbatimUniversity of Iowa Emergency Updates page147 chars
HAWK ALERT: Iowa City Police continue to investigate. Resume normal activity and stay aware of your surroundings. See emergency.uiowa.edu for more.
Verbatim text confirmed from the University of Iowa Emergency Updates page
Sent at approximately 10:35 AM CDT on April 4, 2024, roughly 53 minutes after the initial 9:42 AM alert
Notable for not being labeled an explicit all-clear; the alert tells the community to resume normal activity while noting investigation continues
Context

Background

On the morning of April 4, 2024, Iowa City and University of Iowa Police responded to reports of a man carrying a knife near the intersection of North Dubuque and Jefferson streets, close to Van Allen Hall on the University of Iowa campus. The university issued a Hawk Alert at 9:42 AM CDT, the first such alert of the spring semester, describing the suspect as a male wearing jeans and a dark jacket. The alert prompted shelter-in-place responses in nearby buildings during morning classes. Iowa City police later clarified that "no threats were made" directly to individuals, though witnesses reported the man was behaving erratically with a knife. An all-clear was issued approximately one hour later. In May 2024, Jonathan Kim, 47, was arrested and charged with assault while displaying a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident. The Daily Iowan later published an analysis of Hawk Alert decision-making in response to this incident.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Hawk Alert text was confirmed verbatim from the University of Iowa Emergency Updates page
Iowa City police later clarified that no direct threats were made to individuals despite the alert describing 'threats with a knife'
The incident prompted a Daily Iowan investigation into how university officials decide when to issue a Hawk Alert
Outcome
An all-clear was issued approximately one hour later. Jonathan Kim was later arrested and charged with assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Iowa City police confirmed no direct threats were made against individuals and no injuries occurred.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    HAWK ALERT: Male subject making threats with a knife (University of Iowa Emergency Updates)
    emergency.uiowa.edu
  2. Official
    Arrest made following April 4 Hawk Alert (UI Police Department)
    police.uiowa.edu
  3. News
    UI issues Hawk Alert for knife threat, last seen near Van Allen Hall (CBS2 Iowa)
    cbs2iowa.com
  4. News
    Iowa City police: 'No threats were made' in Hawk Alert incident (The Gazette)
    thegazette.com
  5. Student Paper
    Here's how UI officials decide what goes into a Hawk Alert (Daily Iowan)
    dailyiowan.com
Tags
armed-personknifeiowabig-tenhawk-alertvan-allen-hallmorning-incidentarrest
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion