A former Yale University student, who drew the attention of law enforcement by referencing the Colorado theater massacre in an ESPN website posting in which he allegedly wrote that he was “watching kids and did not mind murdering them,” was behind bars today in the Santa Clarita Valley.
(Flickr: Phil Roeder)
Eric Yee, 21, was being held in lieu of $1 million bail following his arrest about 5 p.m. Monday in Valencia on suspicion of making a terrorist threat, according to deputies at the sheriff’s Santa Clarita Station.
Yee, whose posts were in response to a Thursday ESPN story about some $279 Nike shoes named for the basketball star LeBron James, was arrested at his parents’ home in the 23000 block of Edenton Place, which overlooks Santa Clarita Elementary School and Arroyo Seco Junior High School, sheriff’s officials said.
An ESPN spokesman said the story generated some 3,000 comments, some of which mentioned the possibility of children being killed over the pricey shoes.
Sheriff’s deputies said they were notified about Yee’s post by police in Bristol, Conn., where ESPN is headquartered.
“The Internet service providers at one of the ESPN sites were very good and acted diligently in contacting police,” said Sgt. Darren Harris of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
“The blogger mentioned that it would be like the Aurora, Colo., shooting,” sheriff’s Lt. Steven Low said.
A disaffected and possibly mentally ill graduate student has been charged with opening fire inside an Aurora movie theater during a July 20 showing of the latest “Batman” film, killing 12 people.
Detectives in the Santa Clarita Valley case were expected to present their case to prosecutors on Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s department.
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