Publix was threatened with a mass shooting, cops say. They arrested a 14-year-old
An Instagram-posted threat of a mass shooting at a Publix in Boynton Beach resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old, Boynton Beach police said Tuesday.
The 14-year-old boy was charged with written threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism.
“The teen told detectives that it was a joke,” Boynton Beach police public information officer Stephanie Slater said via email.
His name was withheld. “Robert Surprenant” is the name on “magical_penguin_memes,” the Instagram account accused of making the threatening post to Publix’s corporate Instagram page. That private account says the same person runs the private account @lofidreamstheauxgod.
Around 1:30 p.m. Monday, the arrest affidavit says, the “magical_penguin” account allegedly posted (with this grammar and spelling) “I’m gonna commit a mass shooting at the public in Boynton Beach Florida.”
Publix contacted Boynton Beach police, who tracked the name associated with the account to the 14-year-old’s address, where he was home alone. He went with police to the station, the report said, where he admitted making the post from the cellphone he had on him.
The report says he was arrested and cops called his mother around 10:51 p.m.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 4:12 PM.
