TAMPA, Fla. -- A man who threatened on social media to commit a mass shooting has been arrested, Hernando County sheriff's deputies say.
Deputies were alerted Monday to several posts by a person identified as Blake Dudkewic. The caller said she saw a post on her Facebook news feed, made by Dudkewic, describing how he wanted to kill his father. Knowing that Dudkewic suffers from various issues, the caller responded with a message of support, encouraging Dudkewic to seek help and/or treatment.
Dudkewic allegedly responded to the post with a message about committing a mass shooting, stating he planned to kill more than 400 people. Dudkewic went on to post that he had purchased an AR-15 and would be using that to commit the mass shooting, deputies say.
One of Dudkewic's posts allegedly stated this would be "the most deaths in the history of this XXX country," "my rampage will kill more than 400 peoplepromise (sic)" and "it'll be a devastating day for America."
Deputies went to Dudkewic's father's home in Hernando County to check on him. The father was safe and told deputies he lost contact with his son due to threats his son made in the past. The father provided a possible address for his son.
Deputies asked Tampa police to check the address for Dudkewic so that a Baker Act assessment could be made. All surrounding agencies were alerted to watch for him.
All of Dudkewic's previous addresses were checked to no avail. Tampa police were unable to locate Dudkewic at the address provided.
At about 4 a.m., detectives with the Seminole Tribal Police found Dudkewic's vehicle at the Camp Knox Motel on E. Highway 92 in Tampa. He was taken into protective custody by Seminole Tribal Police with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
A Hernando County warrant for Dudkewic is in progress. He will be charged with making written threats to kill.
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