Pokemon Championship Attack Thwarted: Police Arrest 2 Men With Guns, Several Hundred Rounds Of Ammo Outside Convention

BPD — Boston police have reportedly foiled a violent plot at a Pokemon convention. Above, police search an SUV whose driver was found with a meat cleaver outside the courthouse as the formal sentencing of the Boston Marathon bomber in Boston, June 24, 2015. REUTERS/Dominick Reuter

Two men were arrested after allegedly threatening violence against attendees at a Pokemon Championship in Boston, WFXT, Boston, reported. Detectives reportedly found the two suspects, James Austin Stumbo, 27, and Kevin Norton, 18, in possession of several guns in a vehicle that was not licensed to them, the Daily Beast reported.

The suspects drove to the convention from Iowa, but police were already aware of threats made by the men via social media Thursday, Boston police said. Security at the event stopped the men as they entered the convention a few hours after arriving in the city and notified police, who issued "No Trespass Orders."

After obtaining a search warrant for the suspects' vehicle parked in a garage several blocks from the convention, police discovered a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 and several hundred rounds of ammunition. Neither man was able to produce a permit to carry firearms.

#KeepingBostonSafe: #BPD Officers Arrest 2 Suspects, Recover 2 Firearms after Online Threats http://t.co/aluVXdR3m8 pic.twitter.com/ROm1OgMKLh

— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) August 23, 2015

“The BPD detectives did a great job in the stop and prevention of a potential tragedy," said Superintendent Paul Fitzgerald, commander of the police department's Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis.

Stumbo reportedly posted a photo of the car and guns on a Facebook group entitled, "Mayhem Pokemon Crew," the Daily Beast reported. The men are alleging the Facebook posts were taken out of context.

The Pokemon Championship draws more than 1,000 Pokemon trading card and video game players from about 30 countries to Boston's Hynes Convention Center. The competition is invite-only, and $2 million in scholarships and thousands of other prizes are awarded.

Hundreds of children attending #Pokemon event where apparent terror plot foiled. #fox25news @fox25news pic.twitter.com/YoM4L5vfbP

— Jim Morelli (@MorelliJim) August 23, 2015

The suspects were reportedly invited to play in the masters division. Their motive was unclear.

The police obtained an arrest warrant Friday, and both men were arrested Saturday on several firearms charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition in Saugus, Massachusetts. The men are to be arraigned Monday at Boston Municipal Court, the Daily Beast said.

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