Michigan man allegedly threatened Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, LGBTQ+ community on YouTube
Written by ABC AUDIO on March 10, 2023
(NEW YORK) — The FBI is investigating threats allegedly made on YouTube against Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, law enforcement and the LGBTQ community, according to an unsealed criminal complaint.
The FBI received an online tip earlier this week from Google about an “unknown subject making threatening comments on Youtube” against law enforcement, members of the LGBTQ community and government officials, the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Thursday, stated.
More than a dozen comments posted between Feb. 18 and March 7 were cited in the complaint. They included threats against government officials, including “im going to kill these democrats biden deserves to die,” and “Im more than willing tot kill whitmer and I do live in Michigan. Ill assault her ugly face with my bullets,” according to the complaint.
The commenter also allegedly threatened to “kill lgbt freaks and democrat polioticians” and “shoot at” FBI agents if they show up to talk to him.
On March 7, the account was “observed with a display name of ‘kill all federal agents on sight and hang biden,’ and a handle URL of ‘@killthefeds420,'” the complaint stated.
FBI agents in Detroit were able to track the account to the residence of Randall Robert Berka II in Sebewaing, Michigan.
One of the account’s posts allegedly identified Berka, stating in part, “hey fbi! My name is randall the 2nd and I live in sebewaing Michigan and I am willing to kill these people, f— it I don’t care, f— the feds, f— them” and “I’ll kill anyone who tries to take my guns.”
According to the complaint, Berka was involuntarily committed for mental health treatment in 2012 and was determined to be “legally incapacitated” in 2013. Though he is prohibited from having guns, the complaint stated that his mother allegedly purchased four firearms for Berka but then became scared and “believes Berka should be arrested and put in prison,” the complaint stated.
“Berka has ammunition for his firearms and has gone to shoot them; he also possesses body armor,” the complaint stated.
Berka is in custody and has been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. A detainment hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday. Online court records do not list any attorney information.
The alleged threats against Whitmer come a day after a man was indicted after allegedly posting threats on Twitter to kill Jewish politicians in Michigan.
Nearly 15 men were also arrested for a plot to kill the governor in 2019; most have been convicted.
ABC News did not immediately receive a response from Whitmer’s office seeking comment on the new FBI investigation.
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