The Boston Police Department arrested two men accused of posting threatening pictures on Facebook and of bringing a number of guns to the world championships of the Pokemon card game Friday.
Screengrabs (below) show 27-year-old James Stumbo allegedly made a post on the "Mayhem Pokemon Crew" Facebook group. The Facebook post included a picture of a shotgun and an AR-15 resting on the rear of a white car with an NRA bumper sticker, along with the message "Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!"
When another member replied "good luck," Stumbo allegedly added, "With killing the competition?" (A Huffington Post report quotes police reporting that Stumbo said his post was taken out of context.)
Event security was made aware of the post and stopped Norton (age 18) and Stumbo from entering the event at the Hynes Convention Center Thursday after they drove to Boston from Iowa. Police seized the pair's vehicle and searched it upon gaining a warrant on Friday. Police said they found "one 12-gauge Remington shotgun, one DPMS Model AR-15 rifle, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and a hunting knife." Since the pair could not produce a License to Carry, they were arrested on Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and other firearm-related charges, police said.
Norton and Stumbo are both listed as invited competitors in the Masters Division of the tournament, which offered more than $500,000 in scholarships as prizes. Motherboard reports that tournament attendees were informed of the threats on Saturday after the suspects were placed under arrest and that police presence was heavy at the tournament all weekend. Pokemon card game expert Josh Marking told Kotaku that Stumbo was "a self-proclaimed gun enthusiast," but that his sarcastic manner meant it was possible it was all a joke.
"Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue," The Pokemon Company said in a statement. "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.
"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 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."
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