Thomas Gabbard arrest: Washington man caught after threatening to 'blow up' elementary school

Authorities arrested a Washington teen, Thomas Gabbard, on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened to blow up an elementary school.

Mason Police authorities told sources that 19-year-old Thomas Gabbard previously appeared on Instagram Live and declared himself to be a gang member. However, when a stream viewer argued that Gabbard was not, the teen responded that he was "going to pull up and bomb a school."

During the stream, no specific location or school was revealed. However, Thomas Gabbard continued by asserting that he was in possession of bombs and the viewer, who was alarmed by the threats, informed 911.

The viewer reportedly provided police with information. Using the phone number listed on the viewer's account, Gabbard called the man. The user informed authorities that the call lasted two minutes, during which he attempted to learn more about the nameless school he had previously mentioned.

The Instagram user continued to say that Gabbard proceeded to use racially offensive names while failing to disclose any information about the school. Police were also made aware by the viewer that Thomas Gabbard maintained numerous active Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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Thomas Gabbard has a criminal record

According to Mason police records, an examination of Gabbard's criminal history revealed a juvenile conviction that prevented him from lawfully having a firearm.

Mason authorities have also claimed to have discovered three particular images of the suspect brandishing guns. There were images of two pistols and a rifle on Gabbard's numerous social media pages.

Serving a high-risk search warrant, several armed cops and employees showed up at Gabbard's residence. A SWAT squad quickly and safely took Gabbard into custody. Neither explosives nor weapons were found at the location.

Thomas Gabbard claimed he was not serious about bombing a school during a police questioning. Additionally, he stated that the weapons depicted in his social media pictures were air powered and that he did not possess any explosives or firearms.

He, later, acknowledged that the rifles in his posts were taken from his sister's house despite being aware that his conviction prohibited him from having a gun. Thomas Gabbard also acknowledged that his assertion that he belonged to a gang was incorrect.

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Other recent shootings in the US

The incident occurred even as people are still debating how to reduce gun violence in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting. On May 24, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos locked himself inside a classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and murdered 19 kids and two instructors.

Police came under heavy fire for reportedly failing to intervene in time to halt the shooting and save the victims. An off-duty member of the elite tactical unit of Customs and Border Protection shot and killed Ramos.

In a bizarre attack in May, a racially motivated adolescent named Payton Gendron shot and killed ten people in a Buffalo supermarket while injuring three more. The 18-year-old from Conklin, New York, travelled to the Tops market on Jefferson Avenue from a location that was "hours distant."

The incident took place in a community with a large Black population. Two of the victims were white, while eleven were Black. Gendron has since professed his innocence.