Kent man arrested for threatening Trump family, Ben Shapiro
May 3, 2019, 9:10 AM
(File)
(File)
A Kent man was arrested for making threats against various public figures, including conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro and President Trump’s family members.
Kent Police, along with the FBI, recently took Chase Bliss Colasurdo, 27, into custody during a traffic stop. He was in court Thursday and is scheduled for another hearing Monday.
“This is an example of the kind of threatening communications that can be out there on social media,” said Assistant Us Attorney Todd Greenberg. “In this instance, a concerned citizen brought (it) to law enforcement and that triggered an investigation.”
“Federal law enforcement and local law enforcement, together, responded quickly before the situation was able to escalate into something potentially violent,” he said.
Colasurdo’s attorney said in court that he suffers from mental illness, for which he has been hospitalized in the past.
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The Department of Justice announced Thursday that Colasurdo is accused of making “extremely serious” threats against Shapiro and his family. The man also allegedly made online posts threatening Jared Kushner, husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka. Kushner is Jewish.
The Tacoma News Tribune reports that Colasurdo was scheduled to be in court Thursday. He allegedly posted threats on social media and sent messages to various media outlets, detailing how he would execute members of Trump’s family. He also reportedly shared a photo of a hand pointing a gun at a photo with a member of Trump’s family. And he also allegedly spoke about bombing synagogues.
KIRO 7 reports that Colasurdo posted online photos of himself with guns. When investigators searched his home, they did not find any firearms, rather, they found Airsoft weapons. Detectives also found night vision goggles, a gas mask, a Nazi flag with a swastika, and a framed picture of Adolf Hitler.
Colasurdo reportedly did try to buy a firearm online, but his name was already flagged by the FBI due to the investigation into his threats.
Neighbors told KIRO 7 that Colasurdo was a quiet man who kept to himself and worked as a delivery driver.
“I had no idea, because he doesn’t come across like that type of person at all,” the man’s neighbor told KIRO 7. “Very nice. Very good work ethic. He’s always talking about how he’s going to work doing his stuff, doing sports and stuff.”
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KIRO 7 contributed to this report.
