Two Iowa men were arrested after making threats online and bringing weapons to a Pokemon tournament in Boston, police said.
The Boston Police Department arrested 27-year-old James Stumbo and 18-year-old Kevin Norton Saturday after receiving a tip that they had brought weapons to the event.
In a social media post appearing to belong to Stumbo, a photo of two guns can be seen on top of a car. The caption reads: “Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds [sic] Boston here we come!!!”
The post — now set to private — had comments seemingly joking about the situation.
“Columbine pt. 2,” one commenter wrote.
“Don’t worry about it,” Stumbo said, according to the Washington Post. “My AR-15 says you lose.”
“Another Boston massacre,” the Facebook friend replied.
The pair attempted to enter the Hynes Convention Center Friday but received a “No Trespass Order,” according to the Daily Beast. Both men were competing in the Masters Division of the tournament, according to Pokemon’s official website. The invitation-only event had competitors battling cards for $500,000 in scholarship awards, with the top winner taking $10,000, according to CNN. Police obtained a search warrant on Friday to search the pair’s vehicle, where the found the weapons. On Saturday, Stumbo and Norton were arrested at their hotel.
Police said they recovered a 12-gauge Remington shotgun and a DPMS Model AR-15 rifle. Cops also found a hunting knife and several hundreds rounds of ammo.
“There’s a lot of kids and a lot of teenagers who were in the convention today and it’s just plain scary,” mother Janet Pilkington, who brought her sons to the tournament, told WHDH. “It’s pretty scary, but it also gives me a lot of faith in what the Boston Police Department has done for the city.”
Officers, who said they prevented a “potential tragedy,” have charged the two with unlawful possession of both a firearm and ammunition. Stumbo and Norton are expected to be arraigned Monday.
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