Gulfport man arrested after pointing loaded gun in Internet video, police say
ST. PETERSBURG — A Gulfport man was arrested Wednesday after he recorded himself pointing a gun at marked police vehicles and then uploaded the video to the internet, investigators said.
Detectives with the Gulfport Police Department arrested Ter’on Forrester, 20, on a second-degree felony charge for written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting, his jail records show. Bail has been set at $10,000.
His arrest stems from a video that detectives say Forrester uploaded to an unnamed social media platform Saturday in a way that allowed it to be viewed by the public.
Investigators said the video appears to have been recorded in the backyard of Forrester’s home at 4800 15th Ave S, St Petersburg. It shows Forrester holding an AR-15 style pistol — a smaller, hand-held version of the popular semi-automatic rifle — with a scope attached and an extended magazine inserted. The safety was off.
In the video, Forrester is seen pointing the firearm at a busy roadway as vehicles and two Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority buses drive through the weapon’s line of sight. Forrester also pointed the firearm at a nearby parking lot, where two marked Gulfport Police Department vehicles were parked, the agency said.
The video was captioned “bored af” and “got 40 fa dey ass” along with an emoji of a “face with tears of joy,” Gulfport Police said.
On Wednesday, Gulfport detectives located and arrested Forrester with help from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Responding officers also recovered the gun Forrester posed with in the video, the agency said.
Forrester didn’t own the gun but was given access to it by the person who legally purchased the weapon, police said.
At the time of his arrest, police also issued a risk protection order for Forrester, prohibiting him from possessing firearms and ammunition for a period of time.
