'Joker' sequel: Gun nut makes copycat threat

Skooter reporting 07/28/12

A Maryland man who was heavily armed and who called himself a “joker” was handcuffed yesterday for supposedly threatening to carry on a copycat attack that could have been as fatal as last week’s Colorado shooting.

Neil Prescott purportedly pledged to shoot up his old workplace, telling his ex-boss over the phone that he was the “Joker” and he gonna load his guns and blow everybody up. The joker was recently fired from software firm Pitney Bowes, was nabbed by cops early yesterday.

At the time of the arrest he was found wearing a T-shirt that read, “Guns don’t kill people. I do.”

In his Crofton home, police found thousands of rounds of ammunition and more than 20 firearms, such as a couple of shotguns, couple of Mauser rifles and a Spike’s Tactical RM assault rifle. Police said he had permits for 13 of the guns.

Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw said, it was not clear whether Prescott would have carry on with his threat. Adding, they can’t measure what was prevented.

Chief Magaw said it is clear that the threat made by Prescott could be similar to a recent mass murder which occurred in Colorado. What happened a week ago in Aurora, Colorado, he said, it is important to know for the community to be aware that we take all threats seriously.

On Monday, it was recalled that Prescott allegedly made the call to his former boss. During the call, he told the supervisor he would like to see his “brain splatter all over the sidewalk.” The supervisor ignored the threat, but Prescott purportedly rung back and again made threats, and added with it’s kinda foolish of me to say this kind of thing over a government phone.

Why Prescott was fired is not clear, but the papers say it had nothing to do with threats.

NYP