PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – Palm Beach County officials said a disaster was prevented after detectives arrested a man accused of threatening to commit multiple mass shootings.
“This is disturbing; this is a dangerous, dangerous individual,” said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
22-year-old Damien Allen was apprehended by Palm Beach County detectives following an FBI guardian tip and search warrant that led investigators to find at least 12,000 rounds of ammunition, 18 real firearms, at least three PBSO-issued Class B uniforms, and several types of law enforcement credentials.
“This guy was ready to go, had all the equipment, and had the propensity to do it,” said Bradshaw.
He is currently being held at the Palm Beach County jail.
Sheriff Bradshaw says this is one of the most significant arrests he’s seen by his detectives.
“That has prevented people from dying, because I guarantee you he was going to do that,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind what he was going to do. It just depends on what day it was that triggered him.”
Now, officers are piecing together how he got ahold of all the equipment.
“There’s records of it somewhere,” said Captain Randy Foley of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. “There’s nothing that you can’t buy now that’s not tracked some way, and we will track it down.”
PBSO Captain Foley said Allen has posted videos on social media in the officer uniforms, which have a gun belt, stun gun, radio, and fake body camera.
“To make it more realistic, he showed himself operating a vehicle that resembled a law enforcement car,” he said. “He added a police package, a laptop stand, and a police computer. It was operational.”
When going through his social media, deputies say they found Allen expressing a desire to attack seven locations, including a police station and churches, by using guerilla warfare tactics.
“His main desire was to harm law enforcement and attack a law enforcement facility,” said PBSO Capt. Foley.
Authorities said Allen had an online conversation with 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who died after carrying out a mass shooting at a school in Madison, Wisconsin, in December 2024.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.