Georgia Man Arrested After Threatening to Shoot Judge During Livestream
A Georgia man has been arrested for threatening the life of a judge during a video live-streamed to social media. Micquel Deandre Gay, 36, was taken into police custody on Monday after threatening to shoot a Gwinnett County Superior Judge who had previously denied a request to terminate his probation, WSB-TV reported.
In the 24-minute video, Gay flashed a firearm, he said, to make sure the judge was "reassured" that his threat was "real and valid." He also threatened violence against other courthouse employees and any law enforcement officers that might try to stop him and added that he would see the county office shut down.
Authorities with the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office Fugitive and T.R.A.C.E Units later tracked down Gay in Rockdale County, with the help of the Gwinnett County Police Department Aviation Unit. He was booked on charges of possession of firearms by a convicted felon and conducting criminal gang activity at the Rockdale County Jail.
Gay had a long history of arrests in Gwinnett County dating back to 2010, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Most recently, he was arrested for violating his probation terms in October 2020.
"He utilized social media to publicly threaten to shoot said Judge and shut down the county courthouses," Gwinnett County Sheriff's Deputy Ashley Castiblanco said in a statement. "His threats also extended to all active employees of the criminal justice system and he reassured his threats were 'real and valid.' In the 24-minute live video, Gay makes multiple threats of killing law enforcement and public officials and proceeds to demonstrate his firearm. Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office Investigative Services Unit began an investigation and obtained the warrants for Gay's arrest."
Gwinnett County is located roughly 10 miles northeast of Atlanta and is considered to be a part of the city's metropolitan area. Its county seat is Lawrenceville, which has an estimated population of over 30,000.
Elsewhere in the state, Atlanta authorities have recently had to assure the public that the city is not dealing with the threat of a serial killer. These worries arose from a social media post that went viral following the death of Katie Janness and her dog in Piedmont Park. The post claimed that numerous women were being murdered and mutilated by a serial murderer and that the FBI was stepping in to help with the investigation.
"There have been many rumors and much speculation surrounding this case, both among members of the public as well as internally," the Atlanta Police Department said in a July 30 statement. "Much of the information is inaccurate and some is completely false."
The police did confirm that the FBI had begun helping with the investigation, but did not go into further details.
