Crime & Safety

Police Nab Man in Crofton in Potential Mass Shooting Plot

Police say suspect wore T-shirt that read, "Guns don't kill people, I do."

Police in Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties took a man into custody early Friday in connection with what authorities say could have been a mass shooting plot. The man reportedly made threats against his employer, and police found a cache of weapons at a residence in Crofton.

Maj. Edward Bergen of the Anne Arundel County Police Department confirmed during a press conference Friday that the man was taken into custody in Crofton.

Bergen said a SWAT team raided the man's home at the 1600 block of Parkridge Circle, where the Keswick Park Apartments are located.

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Police said the man wore a T-shirt that read: "Guns don't kill people, I do."

In apparent reference to the shooting a week ago in Aurora, CO, the man allegedly said at one point prior to being taken into custody, "I'm a joker, and I'm going to load my guns and blow everyone up."

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Police recovered 25 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, semi-automatic rifles and pistols. Police said the man did not have a concealed weapons permit.

"We think a violent episode was avoided," Prince George's County Police Chief Mark Magaw told reporters.

Police have not released the man's name nor had he been charged as of Friday afternoon. Police issued a court order for a mental evaluation of the man and a search warrant for his address.

"The individual surrendered to us" without incident, said Bergen, and was transported to a hospital for evaluation.

The man was reportedly facing termination from his job at Pitney Bowes in Prince George's County. Carol Wallace, a spokesperson for Pitney Bowes, said the man was an employee of a subcontractor of the company.

"He has not been on any Pitney Bowes property in more than four months," she said.

The arrest comes one week after a gunman killed 12 people and injured 58 during a screening of the Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, in Aurora, CO. The Batman series features a villain called the Joker.

Police arrested the sole suspect, 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes, in the parking lot of the theater.

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Earlier information below:

WJLA reported that authorities found an "arsenal" of weapons and that the man had made threats toward his employer.

Some 25 firearms were recovered from his home, reported WUSA9News Now reporter Andrea McCarren. The firearms reportedly included semi-automatic rifles and handguns as well as ammunition.

WUSA reported the suspect called a former co-worker with threats to shoot his boss and workers. The co-worker reportedly called police.

A press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Prince George's County police headquarters. Anne Arundel County police had no comment on the reports but did confirm spokesman Justin Mulcahy will be at the press conference with Prince George's County police.


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