A North Carolina man is facing serious charges after reportedly issuing death threats against federal and local law enforcement officers in Charlotte. The man, identified as 27-year-old Johnathan Trent Thomas of Linwood, threatened to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers over recent immigration arrests, according to court documents.
As reported by The Charlotte Observer, Thomas allegedly made a call to CMPD last Wednesday. During this call, he said he would "shoot them all" if he observed officers making arrests, specifically those conducted by ICE near a Charlotte school. The affidavit also mentions Thomas referencing his grandfather’s immigration "on a boat" and stating that he had "signed up to kill and die for less." Thomas drew a parallel between his threats and his alleged military service by claiming he would "swiss cheese" the officers, which is "exactly what he did to the Taliban during two deployments," although his military status has not been confirmed.
The situation escalated when Thomas reportedly stated he was coming to Charlotte armed with armor-piercing ammunition, night vision visors, and body armor to carry out his threats. According to an affidavit cited by Queen City News, Thomas warned that if an officer pointed a gun at him, "he was going to open fire" and threatened to "Swiss cheese" the officers involved in any arrests.
Thomas' detainment came after his threats included mentions of the Shannon Park shooting in April 2024, where four law enforcement officers died, and his claim that he "could do a whole lot better than that." Investigators, who consider Thomas to have a history of menacing law enforcement also discovered he purportedly had Tannerite, a material used in improvised explosives, around his residence. Homeland Security agents executed a search warrant at Thomas’ home on Friday, seizing three rifles and a handgun. The information from the warrant is corroborated by WCNC which reports Thomas also has a history with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office and CMPD, including incidents where he's accused of following officers in marked patrol cars.
Currently out of jail, if convicted of the charges of threatening to assault or murder law enforcement officers, Thomas could face up to 10 years in prison.
