MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 56-year-old man was arrested after police say he made terroristic threats, referencing the Aurora, Colo. shootings, the Joker and how he can relate to shooting suspect James Holmes.
According to a criminal complaint, police were dispatched to Thomas Michael Casper’s home in Eagan on the 4000 block of Ridge Cliff Drive for a loud music complaint.
Upon arrival, police learned Casper had an outstanding warrant out of Dakota County.
As officers were placing Casper under arrest, he started referencing the Aurora, Colo. mass shooting, the Joker and the shooting suspect James Holmes. Twenty-four-year-old Holmes was charged with 142 counts in connection with a midnight shooting massacre at a Colorado movie theater that killed 12 and injured dozens in July.
Casper referenced the shooting, said he was the Joker and yelled to his neighbors, “I’m coming back. You guys are done,” according to the complaint.
Police say he then began threatening officers saying, “I’m such a criminal. I should be the Joker. If I had a gun, I would kill you. I should have dyed my hair orange. Let me out. I’ll kill you. My home is in foreclosure. I have been kicked out of my house. What else can go wrong? It doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t own a gun but if I did I would do what Holmes did. I would blow people away. Put me in jail for the rest of my life, I don’t care. Put me in jail with criminals. I grab them by the throat and kill them.”
He went on to say that he understood why Holmes did it. He told officers he would come back and kill them the entire way to the Dakota County Jail, according to the complaint.
Police say they believe the threats Casper made to be real and expressed concern that Casper would carry out the threats he made, because he repeatedly stated he has nothing left.
He is currently in custody.
Casper has been charged with one count of terroristic threats. He faces up to five years in prison and/or up to $10,000 in fines.
