Man accused of planning to go ‘human hunting’ is arrested in Texas, police say

An online seller listed a firearm optic for sale on social media and then accused the buyer of planning to go “human hunting,” authorities in Texas said.

The seller reported the buyer to the Laredo Police Department on May 25 after the buyer made the reference to killing other people as they met to complete the sale of the scope, according to a May 27 news release. The seller “found this statement alarming and proceeded to contact the police.”

Police identified the buyer as 37-year-old Javier Torres of Laredo and got an arrest warrant on a felony charge of terroristic threats.

The next day, investigators performed a search and arrest warrant at Torres’ home, according to the news release shared on Facebook.

“Upon searching the residence, several handguns, extended magazines, long rifles, a bulletproof vest with armor plates, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in various parts of the home,” authorities said.

Torres was arrested, and the case is under investigation.

“It is important to note that the home of Torres is less than 1,000 feet from an elementary school,” police said. “There were NO direct threats made to the faculty or students of the school in this case. Due to the proximity of the school, the L.I.S.D. Police Department was briefed on the investigation and will be included in all future updates of this case.”

Laredo is in southern Texas, on the Mexico border, about 160 miles southwest of San Antonio.

This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Man accused of planning to go ‘human hunting’ is arrested in Texas, police say."