Police Cease Doable Mass Taking pictures Menace At Bass Canyon

Grant County deputies imagine mass taking pictures prevented at Gorge Amphitheater

Close to GEORGE, Wash. (20AUG2022) — Grant County sheriff’s deputies on Friday night time imagine they stopped an Ephrata man who might have had plans to commit a mass taking pictures on the Gorge Amphitheater.

Residents and safety notified deputies round 9 p.m. of a person within the car parking zone. Witnesses’ suspicions have been raised after they noticed the person inhale an unknown substance or fuel from a balloon after which load two 9mm pistols from the trunk of his automobile. The person hid one pistol within the rear of his waistband and the opposite in an outside-the-waistband holster. The suspect, later recognized as 31-year-old Jonathan R. Moody of Ephrata, approached concertgoers, asking what time the live performance ended and the place individuals could be exiting the venue.

Moody didn't make entry contained in the venue. Venue safety detained Moody outdoors of the venue gates and disarmed him of the 2 loaded 9mm pistols. After investigating, deputies arrested Moody on suspicion of 1 depend of possession of a harmful weapon and one depend of illegal carrying or dealing with of a weapon. Moody was lodged within the Grant County Jail.

The live performance sequence Bass Canyon, an digital dance music (EDM) pageant, was enjoying on the Gorge final night and is enjoying once more tonight. Final night time’s live performance was offered out, which implies there have been upwards of 25,000 individuals attending.

The Gorge Amphitheater doesn't enable weapons on web site, however Moody’s possession of weapons was not the lone issue for his arrest. Moody’s actions of showing to inhale an intoxicant, loading weapons within the car parking zone, and his questions on the place concertgoers could be exiting and at what time, furthered the suspicions of witnesses and deputies. Moody didn't make any statements to deputies.

No person was injured.

Bear in mind: should you see one thing, say one thing. Residents noticed one thing utterly misplaced for the circumstances and notified safety, who in flip notified deputies. That mixture of situational consciousness together with noticing “one thing doesn't match” resulted in a potential tragedy being prevented.

Thanks to the concertgoers who reported this man, and to venue safety for protecting the person from getting contained in the live performance venue.

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Case quantity 22GS09905
Contact and attribution:
Kyle Foreman
Public Data Officer
Grant County Sheriff’s Workplace
509-760-3713
kforeman@grantcountywa.gov
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