An independent developer for the kids-focused build-your-own game “metaverse” Roblox was booked into jail Sunday after he allegedly fought police outside the company’s community developer conference. Cops said they later discovered he held a concealed firearm in his car alongside armor-piercing ammunition and a large-capacity magazine.
As first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, U.S. police said they arrested the developer McKale Olson (police records spelled the name Mikhail, though the dev uses the McKale spelling on his LinkedIn page), who goes by Simbuilder in the Roblox community, on Saturday during the company’s annual Roblox Developers Conference. The event started Saturday and was supposed to take place during the weekend, bringing in developers from across the Roblox community.
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The 25-year-old Olson is known for the popular Roblox “experience” called Vehicle Simulator first released in 2014 that allows players to drive around in different vehicles, including cars, planes, and boats. On his various online profiles, Olson describes himself as a metaverse creator with his own studio dubbed Summit Studios used to promote Vehicle Simulator and other, stranger projects such as AI-based customer service “designed in Roblox studio.”
The U.S. State Park Police in San Francisco stated that on Saturday afternoon they were notified about a “security concern” posted online related to the RDC taking place at the Fort Mason Center. Park police told 404 Media they responded at about 2:15 p.m. to “investigate and provide more security.” Then about an hour later, park police responded with more officers due to a “disorderly adult male” who allegedly fought officers in the event’s parking lot. A video posted online outside the RDC conference shows several officers engaged with an unknown person outside the conference center.
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The annual RDC event was supposed to run Friday and Saturday and finish with its innovation award ceremony slated for Saturday evening. According to a post on the company’s developer forum, the conference was supposed to be “invite-only” though it’s unclear if Olson received an invite.
Roblox did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment. The company said Saturday it canceled its Innovation Awards due to a “potential security concern.” The company added, “This is not how we wanted RDC to end.”
According to public information from the San Francisco sheriff’s booking page, Olson was arrested on four charges. Two charges were related to having two guns in an unattended vehicle, including one handgun and another “concealed firearm.” The other two charges related to Olson allegedly having a “large capacity magazine” and the “possession of armor-piercing ammunition.” California does have laws against importing or holding with the intent to sell any kind of high-capacity magazine.
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The San Francisco Chronicle noted, based on property records, that Olson lives in Tucson, Arizona. Olson’s LinkedIn also references Tucson, which has far fewer restrictions on large-capacity magazines. The arresting documentation does not offer context to Olson’s plans for the concealed weapons or the armor-piercing ammunition.
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