Arizona man charged with threatening to kill Donald Trump
An Arizona man has been arrested after he allegedly posted videos online that showed him brandishing an AR-15-style rifle and threatening to kill President-elect Donald Trump and members of Trump’s family, authorities said.
Manuel Tamayo-Torres posted videos on a “near-daily basis” in which he accused Trump and the president-elect’s family members of kidnapping and sex-trafficking his children, according to charging documents filed in federal court in Arizona. One video was shot at the site of a Trump rally held at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on Aug. 23, the documents said.
The documents don’t identify Trump by name but they describe “Individual 1” as a former president and current president-elect.
In a video posted on Facebook on Nov. 13, Tamayo-Torres holds up what appears to be a white AR-15-style rifle with a 30-round magazine and issues a menacing but difficult-to-understand threat, according to the court documents.
“You see [Individual l], this from far away, [Individual l]… As soon I hear that leave that barrel, I’m already on the foot run after you [Individual 1],” he said, according to the court documents. “And all these little boys and their little badges, off the books, [Individual 1]. They can’t run very fast with a bunch of equipment, a firearm, an AR, a 50 caliber.”
Tamayo-Torres also posted a video on Nov. 21, saying Trump’s “whole family is going to die,” according to the charging documents.
“You’re Caucasian nothing,” he added in the video. “You’ll earn nothing. Aryan money, that’s all you have. You’re a low-life scum. I’ll spit in your f—–g face motherf—er, and if they give me a chance, I’m going to f—–g bury you myself.”
Tamayo-Torres was arrested in Southern California on Monday. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He was charged with one count of making threats against the president-elect and four counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm.
Tamayo-Torres was convicted of felony assault in 2003 and sentenced to five years in a California state prison. Last year, he was served with an order of protection by his ex-wife, the court documents say.
