Two men have been arrested after allegedly making threats on social media against the Pokemon World Championships this weekend in Boston, the Boston Police Department announced in a new release today. Authorities tracked the men down and found in their car a 12-gauge shotgun, one DPM5 AR-15 rifle, “several hundred” rounds of ammunition, and a hunting knife.
Eighteen-year-old Kevin Norton and 27-year-old James Stumbo, both of Iowa, were arrested at a Saugus, Mass. hotel and were charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and other firearm-related charges. They will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court at a later date.
The exact nature of their threats is not immediately clear, though the Boston Police Department said they were “threats of violence made over social media to attendees.” Two men named Kevin Norton and James Stumbo are listed as official invitees on the Pokemon World Championships website. They were apparently in the “Masters Division” of the tournament for the Pokemon Trading Card game.
From the Boston Police Department’s report, here’s how the events transpired.
“On Thursday, August 20, 2015, members of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) received information from private sector public safety personnel at the Hynes Convention Center at 900 Boylston Street in District D-4 (South End) regarding threats of violence made over social media to attendees of the Pokemon World Championships,” a line from the release says.
“Security officers at the Hynes, officers in District D-4, and the BRIC immediately began investigation into these threats, and hours later, the two male suspects were stopped attempting to enter the event. BRIC and D-4 Detectives responded to further investigate,” the report goes on. “Detectives were informed that the suspects had driven to the event from Iowa and were in possession of several firearms in their vehicle. The suspects could not produce a License to Carry. Officers seized the vehicle, and the suspects were released pending a search warrant.”
On Friday, August 21, detectives obtained a search warrant for the suspects’ car, and discovered the above-mentioned weapons and ammo. At this time, an arrest warrant was issued for the pair. They were later located at the unidentified Saugus hotel with the help of the Saugus Police Department and arrested.
“The relationship between police and private sector security is important in both our community policing philosophy, as well as our counter-terrorism strategy,” Boston Police Department Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis commander superintendent Paul Fitzgerald said in a statement.
“This incident is a good example of private security reaching out to their local Boston police district and relaying information to detectives and BRIC analysts in order to identify the very real threat. The BPD detectives and collaborating agencies did a great job in the stop and prevention of a potential tragedy.”
The Pokemon Company has also released a statement on the scary situation.
“Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue,” it said. “We gathered information and gave it as soon as possible to the authorities at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center who acted swiftly and spearheaded communication with the Boston Police Department. Due to quick action, the potential threat was resolved. The Pokémon Company International takes the safety of our fans seriously and will continue to ensure proper security measures are a priority.”
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