'Potential Tragedy' Averted At Pokemon World Championships, Boston Police Say
BOSTON (CBS/AP) —Authorities say two men from Iowa made references to the Boston Marathon bombing and the Columbine High School shooting massacre while threatening gun violence at the Pokemon World Championships in Boston.
Eighteen-year-old Kevin Norton, of Ames, and 27-year-old James Stumbo, of Boone, were held without bail after being arraigned Monday on firearms-related charges.
Boston police Commissioner William Evans said the men made threatening statements in a closed online Pokemon forum before driving 25 hours to Boston on Thursday for the championships. Both were experienced players invited to attend.
The moderator of the Pokemon forum notified security at the Hynes Convention Center where the competition was held over the weekend, and the men were stopped as they tried to register.
Both were released, but their car was seized after authorities learned they might have guns.
Police say the men made references to marathon bombing and Columbine on closed social media forum #wbz pic.twitter.com/8hw56M8kh5
— Paul Burton (@PaulWBZ) August 24, 2015
Organizers anticipated a crowd of nearly 5,000 Pokemon fans from more than 30 countries converging on Boston for the three-day championships, including 1,000 elite players competing for $2 million in prizes.
"Inside there were a lot of kids, a lot of gamers," Evans said in a Monday press conference. "Thank God we were able to cut off whatever threat these two individuals coming from Iowa were up to."
Officers executing a search warrant found a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 rifle, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and a hunting knife in the car.
Norton and Stumbo were arrested at their hotel in Saugus, north of Boston.
"You never know what's in someone's mind," Boston Police Supt. Paul Fitzgerald said. "We went by the words they used and the weapons they flashed."
Both suspects are due back in court on Sept. 1 for a dangerousness hearing.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports:
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