Authorities arrested two men suspected of planning violence in a Pokemon championship event.
Kevin Norton, 18, and James Stumbo, 27, made threats of violence on this weekend’s Pokemon World Championships, held in Boston, via social media. Fans were able to inform the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, who stopped the duo from entering the venue.
The two were escorted off the premises, and after verifying they carried arms without the proper licenses, their vehicle was seized. On Friday, detectives were able to execute a warrant for the vehicle to find one 12-gauge Remington shotgun, one DPMS Model AR-15 rifle, several hundred rounds of ammunition and a hunting knife. The duo were then arrested on Saturday, with arraignment scheduled today. Our cover photo is of the seized weapons, as taken by police.
The Pokemon Company shared this statement regarding the incident:
Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue. We gathered information and gave it as soon as possible to the authorities [at Hynes] … who acted swiftly and spearheaded communication with the Boston Police Department. Due to quick action, the potential threat was resolved.
Thankfully, these threats did not amount to any actual incidents, but it does highlight the importance of taking threats like these seriously when they are made online.
As Paul Fitzgerald, Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis superintendent stated to the press:
This incident is a good example of private security reaching out to their local Boston police district and relaying information to detectives … to identify the very real threat.