Las Vegas Smash player allegedly in custody following bomb threats

One of the top Super Smash Bros prospects from the Las Vegas community has been issued a lifetime ban from local tournaments after sending threatening messages to fellow players, and has allegedly been taken into custody by the authorities.

Tournament organizer Ivan ‘Navi’ Castillo, manager of the Las Vegas Esports Arena, posted on Facebook on November 7 to confirm that Jacob ‘JK’ Johnson had been banned from attending any Super Smash Bros. events in the Las Vegas area.

Castillo states that Johnson was quietly banned in September 2018 as it emerged that JK was suffering from mental health issues, and all parties agreed that it would be best for him to step away from the scene in order to address them.

Johnson then attempted to enter an event at the Games Nest arcade in Las Vegas in early November, and was asked to leave by members of staff as his attendance broke the terms of his ban.

In the aftermath of his ejection, Johnson allegedly proceeded to send threatening messages to fellow player Jordan ‘Lycan’ Aguda on November 13, writing via Twitter DM: “Next time I see you, I’m going to shoot you in the fucking goddamn mouth,” and stated that he was growing to blow up Aguda’s grandfather’s house.

• Read More: Nintendo gave terminally-ill fan a chance to play Smash Bros Ultimate before release

It’s also alleged that Johnson also sent messages to various other players who compete in the Las Vegas scene, leading to the affected parties contacting Nevada law enforcement, who have taken him into custody.

At the time of writing the situation remains unclear, with only Twitter reports confirming the detention of the player. 

Following the deadly shooting at the Florida Madden event in August, esports events across the globe have tightened security with management no longer willing to take the risk of something similar happening on their watch.

We have reached out to Johnson for comment.

H/T: GameTyrant