Authorities in Florida have arrested a Canadian teenage boy who allegedly threatened to open fire at a West Palm Beach LGBTQ event over the past weekend, officials said Monday.
The teenage suspect, whose identity was not released, posed with a gun while pledging to shoot up the “Pride on the Block” gathering and claimed to live in the area, according to reports.
The threat was issued on the Omegle social media platform on Sunday, cops said.
“The suspect, waving a gun in the video, said he lived in Palm Beach County, made anti-LGBTQ+ comments, and was going to commit a mass shooting on that day, at that event,” the West Palm Beach Police Department said in a statement.
While launching a wider probe into the suspect, the department bolstered security for the event with a SWAT unit and undercover officers.
Florida investigators, the Toronto Police Service, and the NYPD zeroed in on a 17-year-old located in Canada and apprehended him there.
The suspect is now facing a slew of charges in Florida, including making “threats to commit a mass shooting,” officials said.
The firearm displayed in the recording was recovered by Canadian authorities.
