*Trigger warning: graphic verbal content*
Cal State Long Beach received death threats from an Indiana man through Facebook after losing to Fullerton in the Big West Tournament Championship game on March 12.
The threats were made directly to the players and their families as stated in the Long Beach Post.
The threats included racist messages, threats regarding bullets, the university being blown up, and slitting the throat of the children of the person who oversees the university’s social media channel. There were also threats wishing death upon students.
Players were also being threatened to be poisoned and the reason behind these threats continues to be unknown.
The city of Long Beach’s authorities were able to receive a search warrant for the Facebook page in hope of finding who is behind these threats.
The CSULB police are also working with the Indiana District Attorney’s office, hoping to file two felony counts with a deadly weapon.
A large amount of the threats were made directly to one player Colin Slater, who is a senior and point guard of the team at Long Beach.
Cal State Long Beach spokesperson Gregory Woods was interviewed with the LA Times and released a statement. “In response to these threats, the university has provided the players impacted with support during the investigation,” he said.
CSULB has insured the student players and staff who were threatened that there is an ongoing investigation on this matter.
To ensure that these messages will not be seen again, the Facebook page and direct messages have all been taken down and handed over to the police.
Threats were also made to Fullerton’s basketball team. Fullerton spokesperson Chi-Chung Keung said the college’s police department has not received any reports of threats being made against the university’s basketball team.
Fullerton is doing the best they can working with CSULB and the police to ensure the safety of everyone involved in this situation.
Once the man who is behind these threats is found, they intend to charge the man with two felony charges of intimidation with a deadly weapon once he is in custody.
Although one of the two men behind these threats continues to be unknown, Carson Bledsoe, 23, is a suspect.
According to the Long Beach post, Bledsoe was arrested by police in Indiana on suspicion of intimidation with the use of a deadly weapon, a felony in the state, Lt. Carol Almaguer of the university police department said.
The police of the city believe that Bledsoe is intended to be one of the two men behind the threats made to players.
