By David Goodhue
Miami Herald
PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County man was thwarted in carrying out racially-motivated mass shootings and attacks on law enforcement that investigators say were imminent after he was arrested Tuesday, according to the sheriff’s office and FBI.
Deputies and federal agents raided 22-year-old Damien Allen’s Loxahatchee home, where he lived with his parents, and found 18 firearms, some of which may be fully automatic, 12,000 rounds of ammunition, two-way radios, a Taser stun gun and authentic-looking uniforms from the sheriff’s office, FBI and military, according to PBSO.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday that Allen boasted in online chats and social media sites — including Instagram and Discord — that he planned on attacking churches for racial reasons, as well as ambush law enforcement officers.
“This guy was ready to go, had all the equipment, had the propensity to do it. It was a just a matter of what day was going to set him of to go do it,” Bradshaw said. “No doubt in my mind, [the investigation] saved a love of lives.”
The sheriff’s office worked on a tip it received last week from the FBI about Allen’s disturbing online activity. The FBI discovered his conversations while investigating a separate case law enforcement has not detailed, said sheriff’s office Capt. Randy Foley.
In some conversations, Allen and another person discussed not only attacking locations in Florida, but also in other parts of the country, Foley said.
Although Allen wanted to kill people based on race, Bradshaw said “his main desire was to harm law enforcement and attack law enforcement facilities.”
Not only did Allen possess firearms and police and military uniforms — including realistic Army Ranger and U.S. Marine Corps dress blue uniforms — he also had a Ford Crown Victoria sedan decked out to look like a police car, complete with a laptop stand in the front seat and a police computer, Foley said.
Included with the deputy’s uniform was a badge, a gun belt, a body camera that Allen built using a 3-D printer and a radio, said Foley
Investigators also found bogus, yet realistic-looking, certifications claiming he completed Army Ranger training, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives and FBI agents are investigating how he obtained his weapons, gear and the car, Foley said.
Deputies and agents also found items with Nazi insignia on them when they raided his home, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We still have a lot of evidence to shift through,” Foley told reporters.
So far, Allen has been charged with written threats to kill or do bodily harm, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and unlawful use of a law enforcement badge. More charges, including federal counts, are likely pending, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bradshaw urged people who hear others talking about plans to carry out violence to contact law enforcement immediately.
“This will give us the start, the little piece of the puzzle to move forward,” he said.
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