After police intercepted terrorist threats from a teen on social media, here’s hoping for a safe 2014 Vans US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach. Photo: VANS/Llalande
A sixteen-year-old boy was arrested in his home and booked in Orange County Juvenile Hall on Friday night after authorities discovered threats of violence directed at the U.S. Open of Surfing on his social media accounts.
According to reports by the L.A. Times, the teenager’s identity remains unknown – as does the social channel and the specific language the suspect used, but officials stated that he has no previous criminal record. The suspect claimed that his threats were not intended to be taken seriously. He told authorities he was “just messing around.”
Authorities noted that the suspect had previously posted “disturbing” and “dark” messages on his social channels while using a pseudonym. Some posts displayed images of him holding firearms.
After receiving a warrant for the subject’s arrest, authorities discovered and seized two firearms, a handgun and shotgun that were both legally procured, from his residence – as well as the suspect’s electronic devices. According to a press release, authorities believe the suspect “acted alone and no overt acts occurred to carry out the threats.”
Huntington Beach Police Department Chief Robert Handy told the Huntington Beach Independent:
“If you look back at lessons that we’ve learned in law enforcement, like the Isla Vista shooting and other [events], that some of the things that had been posted earlier and all of that, law enforcement pays a lot of attention to those things. We take them very seriously, so we acted very quickly on trying to determine what this guy’s capabilities was, who he was and where he was at.”
The U.S. Open of Surfing has undergone preventative changes this year after last year’s riots. Event officials have cancelled concerts on the beach, eliminated vendors from the sand, and heightened security around the event in an effort to keep things safe. In light of Friday’s development, authorities noted that additional security measures have been taken to further safeguard the event.
This is what happened last year. And it wasn’t pretty.
The HBPD shared the following statement on their Facebook page:
