A Utah Trump supporter was arrested Saturday for allegedly threatening to kill YouTube employees in a series of comments left on the video platform over the last eight months.
David Levon Swanson, 35, was charged with threats of terrorism, a second-degree felony, and released on $100,000 bail, according to police records.
The charges stem from comments Swanson allegedly made on three YouTube videos.
The first comment, which was allegedly posted in September 2018 on a video dissecting drama around popular YouTuber Logan Paul, said “The only thing that comes after the death of YouTube is a funeral for all the executives that were rightfully murdered.”
In December 2018, he allegedly commented on another video, referencing tech giants Google, Amazon, Facebook and Twitter. “Their only hope of not getting their executive teams slaughtered (by gun) is to clean up their act and start following the spirit of the US Constitution," he allegedly wrote.
Swanson also allegedly commented on a video from Pewdiepie last month, in which the platform’s most popular creator urged followers to discontinue using a popular saying, “Subscribe to Pewdiepie,” following references made by the Christchurch, New Zealand shooter who killed 51 people.
"It's actually because the goons at YouTube think their ideology has won another victory. They see Pewds as someone that is moving further away from the religion they believe in (Leftism) and bringing millions with him,” Swanson allegedly wrote. “I'm not saying YouTube employees need to die, but I know they are at least as evil as any Of the worst groups in history because their hearts are evil and they happen to be wielding the weapon of the power of speech. They won't last much longer."
In another comment on the same video, Swanson wrote, “Get woke go broke, and when I visit your campus in two weeks I’ll be able to shoot any employees exiting, from the convenience of my car, because the First Amendment allows me a right to do so.”
Trump supporter arrested for threatening to kill YouTube employees