Man Charged For Allegedly Making Threat Of Mass Shooting At Beaver Stadium
Penn State police on Thursday arrested a Gibsonia man for allegedly threatening on Twitter to commit a mass shooting at Beaver Stadium during a football game.
Charles T. Hitechew, 22, is charged with two counts of terroristic threats, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was arraigned before District Judge Casey McClain and was released on $15,000 unsecured bail.
University Police and the FBI began investigating after a Twitter user with the handle @DanieltheDuck8 tweeted the threat on Aug. 8.
“I have decided I am going to commit the biggest mass shooting in history of the world, killing thousands of fans in beaver stadium during one of the games next season #f—psu” the tweet stated.
Police said the investigation began after another Twitter user reported the activity to authorities.
“We again remind everyone that if they see something, say something,” Keith Morris, chief of police at University Park, said in a news release.
The since-deleted account appeared to have been involved in an argument with Penn State fans on Twitter earlier Aug. 8. The same account replied to another tweet by stating “I hope someone blows up beaver stadium next year killing thousands of stupid Ped state fans.”
A preliminary hearing for Hitechew is scheduled for Wednesday.
“Penn State takes every threat seriously. The safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors is our first priority. An investigation was initiated as soon as we were made aware of the threat, and investigators worked diligently to identify a suspect and make an arrest,” said University Park Police Chief Keith Morris.
Earlier this week, Penn State announced that Beaver Stadium would have an increased police presence for the coming season, which begins on Sept. 1. Morris said the decision was not the result of a specific threat and had been in the works for months.
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