Authorities Probe Threat Of Violence In Lakewood Posted To Social Media
LAKEWOOD (CBSLA) — Authorities Sunday were investigating a threat of violence in Lakewood that was posted on social media.
The post, which appeared on Reddit Sunday morning, put many residents on edge with one Subway store locking its doors for some time out of precaution.
"I just kind of knocked on the door and the people in there came to the door and let me know what was going on," Andrew Jen said.
The Lakewood Sheriff's Station said it was aware of the post that threatened minorities and city council members. Investigators say that they believe the man named in the post is a victim of "swatting" at the hands of someone else. The victim spoke to CBSLA's Lesley Marin.
"I called the sheriff's station. I said I didn't do this. What is this? They said, 'We'll come to you,' and and I was like, 'Nah, let me just come to y'all.' They detained me and interviewed me. The weapons in the picture, I've never seen them. It is low even for a joke."
Coming on the heels of the recent mass shooting in San Jose that claimed the lives of nine people, some residents in the Lakewood area said that's why they took this threat so seriously.
"I mean, I was a little afraid considering that this is an area that is highly populated, but also thought this was an interesting thing to be posted with so much detail. So, I wasn't quite sure that it was actually, like police said, credible or true," one local woman said.
Authorities do not believe the threat is credible, but said they were taking all appropriate steps to address the issue. Investigators also said that the man named in the threatening post is not a suspect, though police have not said if they know who is behind the "swatting" call.
At 1:16 p.m., the City of Lakewood posted a statement to Twitter, saying in part that matter was quickly investigated "and based on a variety of evidence, has deemed the threat to NOT be credible."
