A local man was arrested this month after a campus officer caught him walking at Augusta University with a pistol and illegal AR-style rifle, an arrest never announced by AU officials.
The suspect, 33-year-old Stephen Sala of Augusta, is the same man with pending charges from last year for speeding through Aiken County with a weapon described as a “machine gun or sawed-off shotgun or rifle.”
The tense confrontation at AU on Oct. 2 between the armed man and a campus officer was revealed Thursday after university officials released reports under an Open Records Request by The Augusta Press.
At approximately 1:35 a.m. Oct. 2, an AU officer was patrolling the intersection of Curran Street and Moore Avenue when he spotted a White male walking across campus parking lot #69, which is designated for students. Sala drew the officer’s attention as he approached the patrol vehicle while holding a black handgun, a report says.
“When the individual was within approximately 5 to 7 feet from my vehicle, I observed the individual was holding a black colored handgun and was in the process of racking the slide of the weapon,” AU Officer Anthony Garner said in his report.
The officer immediately exited his vehicle, drew his service weapon, and ordered Sala to drop his firearm. Sala complied, placing both the handgun and its magazine on the ground. He was then handcuffed and searched for additional weapons.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered a black buttstock protruding from Sala’s backpack, which contained an AR-style rifle deemed illegal due to its improper length under federal law. The firearm was classified as a short-barreled rifle and was not federally registered, violating the National Firearms Act. In addition to the rifle, Sala was found with a Sig Sauer handgun, multiple rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, and a firing pin for an unknown weapon.
Sala was transported to AUPD headquarters for questioning, but was unable to communicate clearly, leading officers to terminate the interview. He was then taken to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, where he faces charges for weapons in school building or grounds, possession of illegal weapon and criminal trespassing.
In the Aiken County case, Sala was caught speeding 79 in a 55 mph zone on March 23, 2023. The S.C. Highway Patrol trooper found Sala had no license and was driving with an illegal weapon. Sala spent five days in jail before making bond, and the weapons charge remains pending and unresolved.
But after his arrest in Augusta, he was placed under no bond in the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, where he remained Sunday. He has a listed address on the 600 block of Canterbury Drive in Augusta.
