CHICAGO – Police believed University of Illinois at Chicago student Oscar Chavez was a creepy killer clown, so several armed officers forced him to the ground, cuffed him and grilled the 22-year-old over his costume.

They later learned that Chavez was not a part of the epidemic of creepy clowns sweeping the U.S., but rather an art student who is a little … eccentric, DNAinfo reports.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

“They ripped my mask off and started questioning me. They were convinced I was a killer clown,” Chavez said. “I wasn’t even dressed as a clown.”

Chavez told the news site he was in costume for his Topics in Art class mid-term, which played off the famous Dali painting “A chemist Lifting with Extreme Precaution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano.” In Chavez’ rendition, “Big Blue Suit,” he wore a mask of flowers and a bright turquoise suit, and painted his hands pink. He also carried a pair of scissors to cut pieces from the suit as part of the performance art project.

DNAinfo reports:

Meant to symbolically represent a shedding of a new layer as he completes his study at UIC, Chavez planned to visit all of his old classroom buildings on campus one-by-one, cutting off a piece of the suit’s fabric and leaving the fabric behind. 

As Chavez walked from one building to another to complete his work, several students called in to campus security to report a clown on campus, carrying a knife, according to NBC Chicago.

Before long, four officers were running toward Chavez with their guns drawn yelling “Get on the floor!” he said, adding that he was in “utter confusion.”

Chavez, who is Latino, told DNAinfo he feared he would become a victim of an officer-involved shooting.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

“My immediate thought was I was going to die,” Chavez said. “No matter how much I complied, the reality is as a minority in America, my life is completely in their hands.”

A total of ten officer descended on the scene, where Chavez was cuffed and questioned about his costume.

He said police left his arms scraped from the altercation.

UIC officials attempted to quell the commotion on campus with a statement on Twitter afterwards.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”NEW-In-Article-Rev-Content-Widget”]

“Reported malevolent clown was a student doing a performance-art project,” UIC News tweeted. “No arrest, say UIC Police. ‘We take these calls seriously.’”

The situation at UIC spawned from a nationwide epidemic of creepy clowns threating schools and students in most states, both online and in person. In recent weeks, police have arrested numerous teens and adults for a variety of criminal clowning around, including at least three Texas students and several Georgia teens for making terroristic threats, EAGnews reports.

Last week, a Virginia 13-year-old was arrested for soliciting a killer clown on Facebook to kill her teacher, and a Portland, Oregon grandfather dressed up as a clown was arrested outside of a middle school after charging the principal.

In countless reported sightings, creepy clowns attempted to lure children into the woods near schools and playgrounds using candy and money, and other incidents involved clowns coming after kids at school bus stops.

On Monday, Philadelphia school officials called the Department of Homeland Security after a series of clown-related threats on social media targeting specific schools. In numerous other school districts, creepy clown threats or sightings have convinced local authorities to put schools on lockdown or cancel classes.