Arrest warrant issued for WSU student

An arrest warrant was issued Friday for a Washington State University student who is accused of threatening to kill others on campus with a knife.

The warrant was issued after Taylor Asante, 20, failed to appear in court during his last two hearings in Whitman County Superior Court.

He was arrested in October 2023 for reportedly threatening and chasing students with a knife in a dorm hall. He was charged with two counts of felony harassment threatening to kill and one count displaying a weapon capable of producing harm. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Superior Court a few days after his arrest.

WSU police responded to Rogers Hall, a dormitory on campus, the afternoon of Oct. 1, 2023. While first arriving at the scene, officers saw several people running out the front of the building yelling about “almost being killed by someone with a knife,” according to court documents.

Three students told police they were in their rooms when they heard someone yell, run down the hallway and bang on doors. They looked through peep holes and saw a man, according to court documents.

When the yelling stopped, they looked out their doors and saw he was gone. They went to the elevator to go to the fourth floor, one above theirs, to check on their friend. The three identified Asante standing in the elevator, and he allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife and began chasing them, according to court documents.

Officers asked the three to describe Asante, and they said he was wearing a green sweater and had curly hair.

Officers located Asante in his dorm at McEachern Hall, and his appearance matched the description. He consented to a search of his room, and officers found a kitchen knife.

Asante told police he was at Rogers Hall that day, and based upon witness accounts, officers apprehended him.

He had attended initial court hearings in Superior Court, but has failed to appear for the past two in January. When Asante is delivered to the Whitman County Jail, his bail is set at $10,000 surety or $1,000 cash.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.