The NYPD subpoenaed Twitter Tuesday, forcing the social networking site to reveal the identity of the user who threatened to execute a "Batman"-style shooting rampage at a Broadway theater, police said.
"This s---t ain't no joke yo -- I'm serious, people are gonna die like aurora," the person tweeted, referring to the July massacre at a Colorado movie theater where a man in tactical gear opened fire on movie-goers during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Twelve people died in the Colorado shooting. Another 58 were wounded. Suspect James Holmes, 24, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in that case.
The Twitter user being eyed by the NYPD threatened to unleash similar carnage at the Longacre Theatre in midtown, where Mike Tyson is currently performing his one-man show "Undisputed Truth."
Detectives asked Twitter to turn over the user's information when the NYPD first noticed the posts, but the social media site refused. In an e-mail, the site told police it did not appear the tweets in question fell within its parameters for invoking emergency-disclosure procedures.
As a precaution, the NYPD dispatched officers to the theater while the department sought a subpoena. Chief NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the NYPD would continue to secure the theater until the Twitter user who made the threat was found. Twitter has since complied with the subpoena, providing police with the information they requested.
"We take the threat seriously, especially in light of recent attacks in Wisconsin and Colorado," Browne said.
The menacing tweets referring to New York began last week, when the user wrote about making a hit list and tweeted, "i wanna kill alot of people."
On July 29, the user tweeted, "I might just shoot up this theater in new York I know they leave their exit doors unlocked. Ha now I gotta plan it step by step."
On Aug. 2, the user responded to another user tweet about Tyson's show playing at the Longacre "right now" with the tweet, "Well ima shoot that theater up tonight just trust me."
On Aug. 3, responding to a tweet that mentioned not seeing anything on the news about the threat from the previous night, the user tweeted, "I had last minute plans. I'm in Florida rite now but it'll happen i promise I'm just finishing up my hit list."
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