Monmouth University football player's fake gun led to campus lockdown, cops say

WEST LONG BRANCH — A member of the Monmouth University football team has been charged with armed robbery in connection with Tuesday night campus scare.

Keith Williams, 18, a freshman second-string tackle from Baltimore, was charged with first-degree armed robbery for the incident that sent the campus into a lockdown, Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Charles Webster said.

Webster said Williams used an imitation gun that look like a black, semiautomatic handgun to hold up two female Monmouth students whiile wearing a mask on the Long Branch campus for their cell phones around 9:20 p.m.The women fled the scene while the man headed through a tunnel to the north side of campus.

Williams was apprehended around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night but the lockdown remained in place as police looked for evidence related to the incident.

Webster said Williams was found in a dorm and is being held at the Monmouth County Jail with bail set at $100,000. He is also not allowed to return to the campus.

Townsquare Media's Kevin Williams, who is also the stadium announcer for the Hawks' home games, said that Keith did not see much playing time this season and did not recall announcing his name. Keith's picture has been removed from the university website.

Classes were back to normal Wednesday. Spokeswoman Tara Peters said she has has heard "appreciation and praise" for how the Monmouth University Police handled the situation.

"The suspect was apprehended quickly because everyone did what they were supposed to do from the start, starting with the two students who were confronted, which allowed officers to respond quickly. That really made a difference," Peters said.

She said that the Monmouth County Sheriff's Department and police from several surrounding towns helped MUPD, which arrested Williams.