- Dunne says a man DMed her via Instagram and threatened to shoot up the school
- In another incident, an unknown man broke into the gymnastics facility
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LSU gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunne reveals she has opted out of in-person classes after an apparent stalker threatened to shoot up the school’s campus in Baton Rouge.
Dunne, a 21-year-old senior and the highest-earning college athlete in the U.S., opened up about the “fear,” explaining that it was unlike any other message she had received.
“I was scared one time when I got a message about a class I was going to, and I thought, you know what, it’s not worth it,” Dunne said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media last month.
‘It was a threat. It seemed like they knew where I was and what class, and I decided it was better to be safe than sorry.”
According to a report filed with LSU Police, Dunne was threatened on Instagram on December 2, 2021.
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne revealed a threat to shoot up the school and keep her out of class
Dunne said she was the target of threats from stalkers when she was in school
The safety of Dunne and her teammates has led LSU to hire more security for gymnastics competitions
“(Dunne) added that due to her large social media following, she was used to receiving strange messages from unknown accounts, but had not received such a message before,” the police report said.
No arrests were made after LSU police launched an investigation and Dunne blocked the account.
But just two months later, on February 9, 2022, LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark called campus authorities when an unknown man was seen in the team facility watching the athletes.
According to surveillance footage, several men walked through the building before the unknown man entered the facility. No chargers were submitted.
Dunne has previously reported issues she has had on social media and with safety while attending classes. She spoke on the ‘Today Show’ about an incident where the school went to the police in 2022.
“Yes, there are people reaching out every now and then and it’s a bit concerning,” Dunne said at the time.
Those comments came a few weeks after Dunne made headlines after a huge crowd of male fans showed up for the Tigers’ 2022 season opener against the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. LSU began to bring more safety to the gymnastics team from that point on.
“I like getting to know the people who follow me and what I do, so I always try to say hello to anyone who recognizes me when I’m out in public and I always try to take a photo,” Dunne said. “But this past year has been a little crazy.”