Welcome to Arrest Stories. A forty-four-year-old San Antonio man was arrested on retaliation charges after allegedly posting threatening comments on social media targeting the city's mayor. Here's what may have happened.
On Tuesday, the Southwest Texas Fusion Center received information about a threatening comment posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The comment appeared under a news article shared by KABB FOX Twenty-Nine and specifically targeted San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
According to police reports, Ignacio Zuniga the Third posted the threatening message that read: "At KABB FOX Twenty-Nine More wasted money, stop voting democrat Bexar County. We should be hunting these evil demons down and executing them, starting with at Mayor underscore G O J."
The Southwest Texas Fusion Center's public safety unit launched an investigation after reviewing the post and shared the information with San Antonio Police Department officers. The threatening comment was made in response to an article posted by the local news outlet on their X account.
Following the investigation, X suspended Zuniga's account after authorities reached out to the platform. The social media company provided investigators with crucial information including the phone number, email address, and IP addresses associated with the user account. Police then cross-referenced this information with law enforcement resources to positively identify Zuniga as the person behind the threatening post.
The San Antonio Police Department's Fusion Unit received the case information on Tuesday. By Wednesday, officers had obtained an arrest warrant for Zuniga on retaliation charges. SAPD Covert officers took Zuniga into custody without incident.
Police officials emphasized their commitment to investigating such threats seriously. "We take comments that threaten to harm an individual seriously and will take the necessary steps to thoroughly investigate these incidents," authorities stated.
Mayor Jones responded to the arrest, saying "Political violence has no place in San Antonio or in any civil society for that matter. Regardless of political affiliation, everyone has the right to feel safe. I want to thank SAPD for their work in keeping our city safe each and every day."
Zuniga's bond was set at one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.