NYPD counterterrorism chief on the warning signs of attack plots
Since the deadly shootings in Dayton and El Paso, police across the country have made at least nine arrests for suspects threatening or planning an attack in several states, including Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and Missouri.
"Over the past week, what you've seen is a spat of these active shooter scenarios being prevented before they happen. I think that's a good thing," John Miller, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, told "CBS Evening News."
Miller said a suspect will often give signs that they might be planning something, whether it's by saying something suspicious to someone they know, or on social media.
"In most of those cases, people talk to the person directly and only half those cases do they call the [authorities]. That's the change we're seeing now. People are stepping forward and trying to get help," Miller said.
Tristan Scott Wix, of Dayton Beach, was arrested Friday at a supermarket. Officials said the 25-year-old sent several text messages stating he wanted to "break a world record for longest confirmed kill ever."
Then on Saturday, police in New Middletown, Ohio, arrested 20-year-old James Reardon Jr., an avowed white nationalist, for allegedly threatening a Jewish community center. Police said he had an arsenal of firearms and combat gear.
In Daytona Beach, Florida, bodycam video showed police arresting a 15-year-old who allegedly made threats in a video game chat room, saying he would bring an M15 to school and kill at least seven people. The video shows the teen's mother trying to plead with authorities. But she was told her son would be taken to juvenile detention and face a felony charge.
