A University of Connecticut student accused of shouting racial epithets outside a campus apartment complex last month is now taking steps to have the charge scrubbed from his record.
Jarred Karal, 21, applied for an accelerated rehabilitation program that could lead to the charges being erased should he complete his probation successfully, according to The Associated Press.
Karal and fellow student, 21-year-old Ryan Mucaj, were arrested and charged with ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race. The friends, including a third student, were walking through the parking lot of the Charter Oak Apartments on Oct. 11 when they were filmed repeatedly shouting the N-word.
The young men said they meant no offense, but were playing a game in which they yelled bad words. Whoever refuses to say the word first loses the game.
According to an affidavit, Karal and Mucaj started off by saying the word “penis” loudly but decided to switch things up by yelling the slur. A witness captured the incident on his phone, reportedly showing the men directing the word at Black students in their rooms and laughing about it.
The clip quickly went viral, sparking protests across campus.
The men expressed remorse over the incident following their arrests. Police declined to charge the third student, saying he wasn’t involved in shouting the racist word.
Jarred Karal, 21, has apologized for the incident and described his behavior as “idiotic” and “childish.” (Photo: University of Connecticut Police)
“I sincerely apologize if we offended anyone,” Karal told police, according to an affidavit. “This wasn’t our intentions at all. We were acting dumb, idiotic and childish.”
Meanwhile, Mucaj claimed he had one too many drinks at the bar that night and had no recollection of the episode.
Citing privacy law, UConn won’t confirm if the students will face academic punishment.
A hearing for Karal’s application is scheduled for Jan. 8.
