Las Vegas police have arrested a man accused of threatening a mass shooting during the Stanley Cup Final, according to reports.
Police responded to a local Las Vegas business where the suspect, Matthew DeSavio, 33, was threatening a mass shooting, according to 8 News Now.
The arrest came less than four hours before the Vegas Golden Knights were set to win their first championship Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena on the famed Strip.
In a report released by the Las Vegas Police Department obtained by The Associated Press, DiSavio was described by detectives as a 33-year-old man with a history of mental illness and the arrest ‘that would cause a reasonable person to feel panicked, frightened, intimidated. , harass or fear for their immediate safety.’
The report did not say whether detectives found any weapons in DiSavio’s possession.
Matthew DiSavio, 33, Arrested by Las Vegas Police for Threatening a Mass Shooting
The Vegas Golden Knights were arrested hours before they won their first championship
In a series of text messages, phone calls and social media posts on Tuesday, the suspect threatened to ‘shoot up’ an NHL game, according to reports.
At least three people contacted authorities within hours of DiSavio’s arrest, including a relative with an active restraining order against him.
Another of the 911 callers was a grade school acquaintance who told police DeSavio had been stalking her for nearly a decade, according to the report.
In a series of text messages, phone calls and social media posts on Tuesday, the suspect threatened to ‘shoot up’ the NHL game against the Florida Panthers, according to reports.
‘I’m coming for you tonight and I hope you get every [expletive] Vegas Police Officer Golden Knights are there to protect you!’ A message read, police told KLAS. ‘Hap Sin City prepares for its part in the Mandalay Bay Massacre [sic].’
The last part of the threat referred to the October 2017 mass shooting on the Strip, the deadliest in U.S. history, at the Route 91 Harvest music festival that left 60 dead and more than 500 injured.
‘I warned you there was only a preview on October 1st,’ DiSavio reportedly wrote in a separate post.
According to The Associated Press, court records show DiSavio has had arrests in Las Vegas in 2014 that include domestic battery and stalking.
Most recently, records show, he was arrested in October on a felony charge of terrorism or threats of mass destruction.
Mark Stone raises the Stanley Cup in front of his teammates after Tuesday night’s win
A Golden Knights fan dressed as legendary performer Elvis Presley celebrates a goal
A young fan decked out in Golden Knights gear is hoisted into the air during the third period
Details surrounding those threats were not immediately available Thursday, but court records show he was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation.
According to a motion filed in March by his public defender in that case, DeSavio ‘was found to be suffering from a mental illness and incompetent to stand trial.’
But after that finding, he spent more than 70 days in the county jail in suburban Las Vegas instead of receiving treatment because, the motion said, there were no beds in the state’s two forensic psychiatric facilities.
A judge dismissed terrorism charges against DiSavio in April after the state again failed to place him in a facility, as ordered by a judge. He was released from custody.
Now, DiSavio faces another charge of making threats of terrorism or mass destruction after his arrest Tuesday, court records show. He also faces charges of aggravated stalking and a felony count of violating a restraining order against his relative.
According to his arrest report, he was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at work by a 911 caller who told police the suspect had been harassing him for years, after the two met at school.
While police were interviewing the woman on Tuesday, DeSavio called her. “There are no better people,” he said, according to a transcript of the call detailed in the arrest report. ‘I am going to your office now. I’m close.’
He was arrested without incident upon his arrival, police said. DiSavio was being held Thursday in the county jail on $60,000 bail. Records show he has not been formally charged in the case and is scheduled to appear in court next week.
The Golden Knights celebrated their first title in a wild parade Saturday in Sin City, closing down the famous strip.
Thousands of fans lined Toshiba Plaza — which reached capacity — and beyond as they lined the 1-mile parade route around Sin City.
As expected, the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated in style with their victory parade on Saturday night
Thousands of fans packed out Toshiba Plaza, while others watched on a big screen
Alec Martinez celebrates with Vegas Golden Knights fans, holding the Stanley Cup aloft
Before the parade, Las Vegas police said they were expecting upwards of 100,000 people.
Before the parade, Las Vegas police said they had prepared for 100,000 people to watch at street level along Las Vegas Boulevard.
At one point, people climbed the barricades to separate the fence but the crowd was otherwise orderly.
Above the arena stage where hockey players gathered with trophies, a banner displayed the names of the victims of the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.
A lone gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor window of the Mandalay Bay Hotel into a crowd of 20,000 people at an outdoor country music festival across the street.
Fifty-eight people died that night and two died of their injuries, and more than 850 were injured. The gunman committed suicide before police arrived. His motive for the attack was never firmly established.
People in the crowd Saturday remembered the shooting and the role the Golden Knights played in helping rebuild community spirit.
The players, who call themselves the Golden Misfits after being drafted from other NHL teams, embrace survivors, first responders and volunteers, and over the years the team has become a staple of the ‘Vegas Strong’ event aimed at healing community trauma.
The parade route, arena and plaza hosted a championship victory celebration last September after the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun to win the WNBA Championship. The women’s basketball team also plays at T-Mobile Arena.
After capturing the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night, players from the NHL’s best franchises turned out for a performance by DJ Steve Aoki at Omnia Nightclub.
Given recent events, Sin City is increasingly at the center of the sports world.
Always a mecca for boxing and sportsbooks, Las Vegas now boasts the NFL’s Raiders and an upcoming Formula One race amid ongoing efforts to attract MLB’s Oakland Athletics and an NBA expansion franchise.
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