Man suspected of planning mass shooting arrested at Bass Canyon Music Festival
Bass Canyon thanks attendees for reporting suspicious activity at the festival
Authorities in Washington state arrested a man who they claim was carrying firearms on Friday outside Bass Canyon Music Festival.
According to a statement by Grant County Sheriff's Office, attendees at the Bass Canyon Music Festival, a three-day electronic dance music festival held at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington state, reported a suspicious man to police at about 9:PM on Friday night (August 19).
"Grant County sheriff’s deputies on Friday night believe they stopped an Ephrata man who may have had plans to commit a mass shooting at the Gorge Amphitheatre," the sheriff's office said.
The man allegedly “inhaled an unknown substance” from a balloon, produced two 9mm pistols from the trunk of his car and then loaded them with ammunition.
Authorities said the man, who they identified as 31-year-old Jonathan R. Moody, then approached festival-goers to ask about the time the event ended and the location of the exits.
After being arrested by venue security outside of the venue, Moody was stripped of his two loaded 9mm pistols. Officials reported that he did not enter the area.
Deputies detained Moody on one count of possessing a dangerous weapon and one count of carrying or handling a weapon while not authorised. He is currently being kept at Grant County Jail.
“The Gorge Amphitheatre does not allow weapons on site, but Moody’s possession of weapons was not the lone factor for his arrest,” the statement reads.
"Remember: if you see something, say something. Citizens saw something completely out of place for the circumstances and notified security, who in turn notified deputies. That combination of situational awareness along with noticing 'something does not fit' resulted in a possible tragedy being prevented," it added.
In a post on Twitter, Bass Canyon thanked concertgoers for alerting security to the suspect, who they added did not have a wristband to access the festival, and thanked authorities "for handling the situation."
This year's Bass Canyon took place from August 19 to August 21 and featured the likes of Boombox Cartel, SVDDEN DEATH, Subtronics, Boogie T, Sullivan King and many more.
Earlier this month, a Lollapalooza security worker who allegedly sent out two fake messages warning of an impending mass shooting on festival grounds earlier this month was charged with creating a false terrorist threat.
Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter