A man has been arrested by Las Vegas police for allegedly threatening mass shooting during the Stanley Cup Final.
Police responded to a local business in Las Vegas where the suspect, Matthew DeSavio, 33, threatened the mass shooting, according to 8 News Now.
The arrest came less than four hours before the Vegas Golden Knights were set to win their first championship at T-Mobile Arena on the famous Strip on Tuesday night.
DeSavio is described by detectives in a report released by the Las Vegas Police Department, obtained by The Associated Press, as a 33-year-old man with a history of mental illness and arrests “that would make a reasonable person feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated.” to feel. , harassed or afraid for their immediate safety.’
The report does not say whether detectives found any weapons in DeSavio’s possession.
Matthew DeSavio, 33, was arrested by Las Vegas police for threatening a mass shooting
The arrest came hours before the Vegas Golden Knights won their first championship
In a series of incoherent text messages, phone calls and social media posts on Tuesday, the suspect threatened to “shoot down” the NHL game, according to the report
At least three people had contacted authorities about DeSavio in the hours leading up to his arrest, including a family member with an active restraining order against him.
Another of the 911 callers was an acquaintance from grade school who told police that DeSavio has been stalking her for nearly a decade, according to the report.
In a series of incoherent text messages, phone calls and social media posts on Tuesday, the suspect threatened to “shoot” the NHL game against the Florida Panthers, according to the report.
“I’ll come get you tonight and I hope you get everything [expletive] policeman in Vegas Golden Knights there to defend you!’ read one message, police told KLAS. “Hope Sin City is ready for the massacre at Mandalay Bay [sic].’
The latter part of the threat referred to the October 2017 mass shooting on the Strip, the deadliest in U.S. history, which left 60 dead and more than 500 injured at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival.
“I warned you that October 1 was just a taste,” DeSavio reportedly wrote in a separate post.
According to The Associated Press, court documents show DeSavio’s arrests in Las Vegas date back to 2014 on charges including domestic violence and stalking.
Most recently, according to records, he was arrested in October on charges of threatening an act of terrorism or mass destruction.
Mark Stone lifts the Stanley Cup in front of his teammates after their victory Tuesday night
A Golden Knights fan dressed as legendary artist Elvis Pressley celebrates a goal
A young fan decked out in Golden Knights gear is lifted high into the air during the third period
Details about those threats were not immediately available Thursday, but court records show he was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation.
Under a motion filed in March by his public defender in that case, DeSavio was “diagnosed with a mental illness and found incompetent to stand trial.”
But after that finding, he spent more than 70 days in the downtown Las Vegas county jail instead of undergoing treatment because there were no beds available in one of the state’s two forensic psychiatric facilities, according to the motion.
A judge dismissed the terrorism charge against DeSavio in April after the state again failed to place him in one of its facilities, according to the judge’s order. He was released from custody.
Now DeSavio faces a new charge of threatening an act of terrorism or mass destruction following his arrest Tuesday, court records show. He also faces an aggravated stalking charge and a felony felony charge for allegedly violating a restraining order against his relative.
According to his arrest report, he was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at the workplace of one of the 911 callers, who told police the suspect had harassed her for years after the two met at school.
While the woman was being questioned by police on Tuesday, DeSavio called her. “Not a nice man anymore,” he said, according to a transcript of the call described in the arrest report. “I’m going to your office now. I am almost there.’
Police said he was arrested without incident when he arrived. DeSavio was held in county jail Thursday on $60,000 bail. Records show he has not been formally charged in the case and is due to appear in court next week.
The Golden Knights celebrated their first title in a wild parade in Sin City on Saturday, closing the famous Strip.
Tens of thousands of fans filled the Toshiba Plaza—which reached capacity—and beyond, cheering for its heroes as they went on a one-mile parade route around Sin City.
As expected, the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated their victory parade in style on Saturday night
Tens of thousands of fans filled the Toshiba Plaza, while others watched on a big screen
Alec Martinez celebrated with fans of the Vegas Golden Knights as he held the Stanley Cup in the air
Before the parade, Las Vegas police said they had prepared for more than 100,000 people
Before the parade, the Las Vegas Police Department said they had prepared for more than 100,000 people to cram street-level viewing areas along Las Vegas Boulevard.
At one point, people set up barricades and climbed fences, but otherwise the crowd remained orderly.
A banner with the names of the victims of the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas hung above the arena stage where the hockey players gathered with the trophy.
A lone gunman rained bullets from the 32nd floor windows of the Mandalay Bay hotel into a crowd of 20,000 at an outdoor country music festival across the street.
Fifty-eight people died that night and two later died of their wounds and over 850 were injured. The gunman killed himself before police reached him. His motive for the attack was never firmly established.
People in the crowd Saturday remembered the shooting and the role the Golden Knights played in helping to restore the spirit of the community.
Players who dubbed themselves the Golden Misfits after being drafted from other NHL teams embraced survivors, first responders, and volunteers, and the team has become a staple of “Vegas Strong” events over the years aimed at healing community trauma .
A banner featured the names of the victims of the October 2017 mass shooting above the stage
The banner hangs above the players as captain Stone addresses the crowd
People set up barricades and climbed fences, but otherwise the crowd remained orderly
The parade route, arena and plaza also hosted a championship victory celebration last September, after the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun to win the WNBA championship. The women’s basketball team also plays at the T-Mobile Arena.
Following Tuesday night’s Stanley Cup win, players from the NHL’s top franchise showed up for DJ Steve Aoki’s performance at Omnia Nightclub.
Given recent events, Sin City is increasingly at the center of the sports world.
Always a mecca for boxing and sportsbooks, Las Vegas now has the NFL’s Raiders and an upcoming Formula 1 race amid continued efforts to attract MLB’s Oakland Athletics and an NBA expansion franchise.