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Updated at 6 p.m. ET: Authorities have arrested a California man for allegedly making terrorist threats, after he wrote in online posts that he wouldn't mind killing kids.
Former Yale University student Eric Yee, 21, remains in custody Tuesday on $1 million bail, The Associated Press reported. He allegedly wrote in the reader response section of an ESPN online story that he was watching kids and wouldn't mind killing them, according to the AP. The man also posted the killing would be like the July 20 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. that left 12 dead and 58 wounded, NBCConnecticut.com reported.
Police in Bristol, Conn., where ESPN is headquartered, say an employee of the sports network called authorities on Thursday to report the Yee's comments, according to the AP. Police traced the man's location to a home in Valencia, in northern Los Angeles County, where he was arrested on Monday, the AP reported.
Yee lives with his parents in a home that overlooks a local elementary school and a junior high school, and authorities found several firearms inside, according to NBCLosAngeles.com. The schools reportedly increased security Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it's in contact with Yale University police "to ascertain if there are any outstanding suspects," NBCLosAngeles.com reported.
Yale officials say Yee withdrew from the Ivy League university back in May for undisclosed reasons, according to the AP.
NBCLosAngeles.com's Melissa Pamer and Antonio Castelan, as well as NBCConnecticut.com and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Leave a Comment:
His fantasy league probably not doing so well.
I'm guessing his decision to put BIG BROTHER into play did not pay off so well.
In this case, I guess Eagle Eye actually was a good idea. Thank goodness we don't have an alternative situation where we are reading about students being killed.
Truly think this was a tragedy that would have happened had not that astute employee at ESPN taken it seriously.
This nut fit the perfect stereotype for someone who would go out and murder a bunch of people/kids: frustrated because he withdrew from college for an "undisclosed reason," owns multiple firearms (at age 21), living at his parents' home that overlooks two schools, and posting online threats.
Hope the ESPN employee gets a reward for reporting this guy. Glad the police took it seriously, too.
I'm glad they arrested him. People say (and do) a lot of crazy and illegal things on the internet. Just never know when someone will turn you in. Making threats and breaking the law in writing, NOT SMART. I guess he forgot to read the content restrictions to which he agreed. Idiot.
Bill: Only in his mind.
As the saying goes, "It's better to be proactive than reactive". I hate to think of what he could have done.
Well, at least they were able to aprehend this Democrat before he went off on some orange-haired shooting spree.
STHU you swine!!! IT says NOTHING about his political affiliation so stop bringing your teahad hatred into EVERYTHING!!!!!! While you want to crap about Democrats, ESPN, located in a DEMOCRATIC state had the common sense to REPORT IT before the nut DID do something.
How about this head line, "Man killed by kid for online threat". I like that better.
very simple solution: the gas station owner should deface the sign
"Yale officials say Yee withdrew from the Ivy League university back in May for undisclosed reasons, according to the AP."
Is anybody else feeling the deja vu? He lived in a home overlooking two schools. This was a tragedy in the making... and kind of strange that the Eric Yee led police right to his own door. Maybe he was looking to be stopped and had no one responded it would have happened. Anyway, I'm glad that employee at the sports network took action right away. Thanks to him and the police from me.
The internet does have it's virtues.
I didn't get the part where he broke any law. Did he say he was going to kill anyone? No. I read and understood that he said he wouldn't mind killing. I would call that free speech. Expressing his beliefs. Let's continue to tear down that first amendment. Before you jump on me, I do not agree with his beliefs. I simply support his right to express his opinion, however sick it may be. I concede he may have been dangerous. He did us a favor when he let us in on that fact, but the way this story reads, he did not make an actual threat. He was musing. Rather than being arrested, I think he should have been put under surveillance. That would be easy enough, due to Trapwire, et al.
What, are you kidding me? You must enjoy seeing news reports of mass shootings. Maybe YOU need to be under surveillance.
Dudditz,
You say he was just "musing." Expressing his beliefs? Free speech! Good grief! The guy posted that he was watching kids and wouldn't mind killing them! Sounds more like a desperate cry for help to stop himself.
If your child was in one of those schools that this muser was overlooking, would you want to give this nut a chance to slip off behind a hedge and take aim on the schoolyard below, or just let him decide he is too depressed to live anymore so he just strolls into one of the schools and starts firing at random, hoping the police will gun him down, too?
GLAD this guy was not able to do any harm. But if someone posted that they lived next door to a walmart and wouldn't mind robbing them - he could not be arrested. I think THAT is Dudditz's point.
I'm pretty sure Dudditz doesn't enjoy seeing news reports of mass shooting.
But just last week weren't we saying that someone in America expressed their free speech in making a movie and how ridiculous it is that people react by killing others over that movie and how in America we have free speech, which you can exhibit even if you are an idiot.
And this week, we are saying that an American expressing his right of free speech needs to be arrested because he exhibited that free speech without committing an actual crime?
Well, maybe it is time for us to start taking some of these threats -- I mean free speeches -- seriously.
The AP didn't post the entirety of Yee's post on the ESPN site, they simply gave a short sentence about what it contained. Without an exact word for word post of exactly what he wrote, I don't think a debate over constitutional rights is due. I'm pretty sure if he was going to Yale, then he can manage to get an attorney with more than month out of law school that can assist him with that debate if it is needed. Other than that, I would like to see how many parents of those children attending the nearby schools were NOT worried at all about the safety of their children and are demanding the release of Yee due to his right of free speech being violated. I hope that number is low, like zero.
Sorry, all. I'm with dudditz on this one. This is a double-edged sword that will come back and hurt the American public. Granted, in this particular instance, there is sufficient evidence to believe the man was capable of carrying out his threat. Ultimately, however, having the means does not constitute a crime and I'd like to believe that he had enough moral constitution to stop himself.
The problem comes when the police are allowed to act on words alone, rather than actions. I don't like to read those headlines any more than anyone else, but I certainly pray the man is not convicted of a crime. If we're going by that, I could say that the police officer who wrote me the speeding ticket this morning was a cocky SOB and I wouldn't mind killing him. See what I did there? The police in MY jurisdiction are smart enough not to arrest me, but rather to put me under surveillance for a little while until they figure out I'm just spouting off.
Unless you want to give law enforcement full access to your home, your computer, and your private lives, don't go praising these idiots for overreacting. Because THAT is where events like this will lead.
Well, Gregski, I'm guessing you don't have any kids. One looks at the world a bit differently when you do.
If this guy had gone off the deep end suddenly and killed a bunch of people, and it was found out that he had posted subtle threats or "troublesome" thoughts like he did, the whole nation would have been shouting "Why didn't somebody do something when he posted those threats?"
Alas, it is one of those situations where you are damned if you and damned if you don't.
A guy once threatened to kill me when I yelled at him for beating up his girlfriend in public. The cops said unless he brandished a weapon it wasn't against the law. One million dollar bail for a threat that may or may not have any substance behind it at all? Talk about a chicken turd society we've turned into.
you are an ass! we are not a chicken turd society you are a bully!!
Wow chri! I think like2share meant that police can't hold someone who has only threatened someone. The people aren't "chicken", but our laws can't do anything until an actual crime has been committed.
I am also concerned that they won't be able to hold this guy. Not too cool to just wait and see if he eventually harms kids!
glad to know yee is in jail! threatening kids is a messed up thing to do.