A 17-year-old boy from Ocala was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after he allegedly threatened to kill a law enforcement officer in a post that was made on the social messaging platform Discord.
According to the arrest report, an investigation was initiated by the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. since the Capitol Building was visible in one of the Discord posts. As a result, MPD initially believed that the threat was against an officer in their jurisdiction.
During the preliminary investigation, Discord provided law enforcement with a Gmail address and alternative email address associated with the account. Investigators learned that the alternative email belonged to a “Palm Beach County School Board student” who had “several disciplinary problems while in school,” according to the report.
The student in question was later identified as a 17-year-old boy who currently resides in the 13200 block of SW 41st Court in the area of Marion Oaks.
The report stated that an anonymous tipster had obtained screen captures of a conversation between them and the Ocala teen that took place on Discord on Friday, October 20. An MCSO corporal noted in the report that the Discord post discussed making a “fake distress call” to “lure a law enforcement officer to an abandoned road,” and then using a “running vehicle as a distraction.”
In the Discord post, the Ocala teen allegedly stated, “I either stab, bash, cleave or in any way attack (the officer’s) head in hopes of killing him.” In another post made later that day, the teen stated, “If his hand is near his handgun as he approaches the vehicle, I could try to cut it clean off with a heavy weapon like my axe,” according to the report.
The report stated that the teen mentioned that he needed to “sleep more to ‘map’ this out later.” He also stated that he was going to “double check the distance” the following day.
An MCSO corporal noted in the report that the Ocala teen resided in the Marion Oaks area, which had “unused roads” that “would seem abandoned.” The report further stated that this was “consistent with his post.”
The corporal responded to the teen’s residence on SW 41st Court and made contact with his father in front of the home. The father refused to allow the corporal to get any closer to the property, though he called for the teen to come to the doorway to speak with the corporal after the “serious nature of the threats” were explained, according to the report.
The teen admitted to the corporal that he used the Discord and Steam applications. In addition, the teen advised that he had spoken to “approximately 15 people” when the alleged threats were made, though he indicated that he did not recall making the threatening statements. He further stated that he “did not have problems with police,” according to the report.
The corporal noted that the teen’s father would not allow a “more formal” interview with his son. The father told the corporal that his son “would not commit the crime because he is quiet, keeps to himself, and stays in his bedroom.”
Based on the statements that were observed in the Discord messages, the corporal noted that a “reasonable conclusion can be made the defendant is making a plan to kill an unknown law enforcement officer.”
The teen was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and he was released the following day on $5,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for making written or electronic threats to kill.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 28, according to jail records.
Ocala-News.com is not naming the suspect due to his age.